


The Male Empress | Haikyuu [Omegaverse Historical AU]

by chaexijun



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, Mpreg, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Plot Twists, Sexual Harassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 89,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25049638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaexijun/pseuds/chaexijun
Summary: ♚♚♚The Seiryu Empire had an unspoken rule; all Emperors should be male alphas and all Empresses should be female omegas.The Emperor would rule over the whole empire with as many concubines and riches he wanted to have, and the Empress should quietly watch and follow.Because of that, most of the Empresses who reigned in the Seiryu Empire had gone through violent abuse.The reigning Empress, not able to take the abuse anymore, rebels against the Seiryu empire and takes all the female omegas, conspiring with Toryu Empire to immigrate the the females out of the country and into the Empress newly built empire, the Hakuryu Empire.Because of the declining birth rate in Seiryu, they reformed the unspoken rule, and declared that omega males be allowed in the palace.The Seiryu Empire requested 100 omega male concubines, for the Emperor and for his subjects, and whoever pleases the Emperor would become the Male Empress.♚♚♚AtsuKageHina | Historical Omegaverse AUChae | @chaexijun
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 53
Kudos: 147





	1. The Empress's Rebellion

♚♚♚

This was a story passed down through generations.

Before the Ryu Continent was made, there was a vast blue sea that seemed to go on for ages, with no land at all. The Dragon God Ryujin looks down below and took pity on the never-ending sea.

He said, "Let land fill the vast sea and let it be called the land of Dragons. Make 6 in my image and let them walk that land."

The Dragon God's servants created 6 men in the Dragon God's image, each with their own unique trait and color. 

The 6 men explore the land, each settling down in a place they found they fit in best and settled down. But after a week, the 6 men grew lonely. 

"Please give us a partner, o Immortal Dragon God." One of them asked. The Dragon God takes pity on them and tells his servants to make 6 new humans, in the image and shape of his daughter, Toyotama-Hime.

The Dragon God grants each man a woman, who was to serve the man and bear a child. With the 6 men not lonely anymore, they go their separate ways and secured territory, reigning over the territory they named. 

The continent was then split into 6 empires; the Seiryu Empire, Kinryu Empire, Koryu Empire, Suiryu Empire, Kokuryu Empire and the last, Toryu Empire.

And that's how the Ryu Continent and the 6 empires came to be.

♚♚♚

Tonight was the night. 

The Empress stared at herself in the bronze mirror mounted on the wall, a determined look on her face. She refused to stay quiet and accept the abuse anymore. It was time for her to show that the Empress is not just a dog licking the foot of its owner.

She orders her ladies-in-waiting to disrobe her, 4 ladies skillfully removing each layer of the junihitoe until she was bare. With one flick of a finger, another lady-in-waiting hands over a koshimoto, the clothing of a commoner female servant.

"Your Imperial Majesty, must you dress like a lowly maid in order to fulfill this duty?" The lady-in-waiting frowned in concern, worried for her mistress. The Empress only smiles softly.

"I must, for if I walk out of the palace as the Empress of Seiryu, I will die as her. I cannot die as the Empress of Seiryu because I still have to protect our fellow omega women." Her heart was already set. No one could change her mind anymore. 

"I must thank you ladies." The Empress takes a deep bow at the women, who panics.

"E-Empress! Please do not bow to such lowly creatures such as us!!!" One lady quickly helps the Empress raise her head. It was a crazy sight seeing an Imperial Highness bow before a lower rank person.

"No, I must thank you. Without your help, I would have not been able to arrive in this point in life." She smiles at her subjects warmly, giving them a soft hug one by one. The ladies feel soft inside as they hold back their tears. "Amusing, isn't it? The Empress of a large Empire is rebelling and even conspired with another Empire."

She chuckles, making the others chuckle too.

"I must go." She shrugs on a black cloth made of wool, covering her face and body. She slips into a pair of zori sandals, looking back at her subjects. "Follow behind me after 30 minutes. I will tell the Toryu's winter knights to come after you."

"Yes, Empress. May Ryujin be in your protection." They bid her goodbye as she slipped through the open window, her fall being cushioned by the flowerbed that she planted 2 months back.

Before she can slip past the south gate of the Azure palace, she was pulled back by an unknown person. 

"Hmm!" She kicks her legs backwards, hitting the shin of the person. They both fall down, the unknown person groaning softly in pain. 

"Empress. I'm sorry I startled you." The person groaned out, and the Empress turns to see a young, silver-haired man. It was Sir Eita Semi, a ninja the Toryu Empire sent to protect and guide the Empress.

"Sir Eita! I apologize, you grabbed me so suddenly." She lent a hand to pull him up, but he pushes himself up quickly. 

"There is no time, my Empress. The Emperor has caught wind of our plans. He is heading right towards Hyacinth Palace." He whispers under his breath, taking hold of the Empress's hand. "We must go."

He quickly pulls her towards the south gate, their footsteps being camouflaged by the leaves under their feet. The wind blows wildly as the ran, the night turning brighter than the nights before. The moon was going to be this Empress' witness on how she achieves salvation for her fellow omegas.

"Halt!" The ninja pulls both of them into the bamboo forest, laying low. 

"What—" Semi puts a hand to the Empress' mouth, shushing her. A group of 3 horses with Azure knights riding them stop across them, the horses whinnying and clopping their hooves. 

"Commander Kuroo!" The 3 knights salute towards the approaching horse, dressed in silver armor pleated with lapis lazuli. 

"Have you seen the Imperial Empress anywhere?" His deep voice pierced through the night. 

"We have not, Commander. She is missing from her chambers."

"Tch." He clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Incompetent fools. Find her! And when you do, bring her to me. I will be the one to deliver her to His Imperial Majesty." With a swift turn, he runs back north towards the Empress's Palace. The knights follow in suit, the horses hooves becoming distant. 

"Let's go." Semi pulls both of them up, running once again. The could not lose a moment or they would be caught, and all the planning for a year would be all for naught. 

"I apologize if you feel tired, my Empress. My horse is only a little further." He slows his pace down to match the Empress, who in turn chuckles. Toryu Empire people were notoriously known to be cold and uncaring, but it doesn't seem to be like that at all.

They arrive at the horse after five minutes of continuous running, the Empress being carried to sit on the horse. Semi sits behind her, taking hold of the bridle and pulling it, making the horse neigh and start running. 

"We are 10 minutes to the seaside dock. The female omegas have gone on the boat and have already sailed towards Toryu. Our Emperor and Empress are waiting for you with your ladies-in-waiting. They arrived first since no knights were around when they left." 

"Sir Eita, I am eternally grateful for your help." She thanks the ninja. 

"You do not have to thank me, Seiryu Empress. I was ordered to protect you, so I must do my duty well." He replies curtly, increasing the pace of the horse as the seaside dock came into view. 

The Empress's ladies-in-waiting wave at her happily, and she waves back as they approach them. 

"Oh Empress!" One sobs out. "We thought you got caught!"

"No need to cry, my dear. Wipe your tears." She uses her finger to wipe her subject's face. "Be strong. The Emperor is coming."

Horses neighing and hooves clopping in the distance were heard. She knew it. The Emperor, and her husband, was coming. 

"Fire!" She heard him yell, and arrows shoot from the forest they just came from. The ladies yell in fright as they ducked. An arrow flies past the Empress, grazing her cheek. It left a small cut.

The Emperor of Seiryu arrives on a horse, wearing thin azure clothes that looked like his nightwear. "Reveal yourself, rebel who conspired with Toryu Empire!"

"Empress, don't!" Her maids whisper to her, but she smiled at them gently.

"I know what I'm doing."

The Empress removes the dark wool cloth covering her body, revealing herself as the bright moonlight touched her skin. 

"Empress!" The soldiers behind him yell in surprise. Everyone stood in place due to the shock, the Emperor of Seiyu so shocked his eyes were wide.

"My wife?" He asks, his voice travelling with the wind. He felt betrayed. 

"I am not your wife." Her cold voice slices like ice. 

"My Empress? You dare—" 

"I am no longer the Empress of Seiryu Empire. I do not stand with an empire who treats their omega women like trash." She states, wiping her bloodied cheek as she stood tall against them. The Emperor suddenly starts laughing out loud, his brown eyes turning crazy.

"So if you are no longer the Empress, then what are you now? A female servant?" He rakes his eyes over her clothing, which was the clothing of a maid. The Empress only glares at him.

"I am no longer your empress, nor your wife, Atsumu. I will no longer sit by idly or follow your orders like a dog licking its owner's foot. This Empire has abused their omegas for too long, therefore I am taking them away from you."

"Hah!" Emperor Atsumu scoffs. "You've gotten cocky now that you got help from the Toryu Empire, Yachi."

He laughs like a madman. "Do you think I won't take your head?" His eyes were like the eyes of a killer. Semi steps up to protect the Empress.

"Be quiet, Atsumu. You are acting like a mad man." The Empress of Toryu Empire, Akaashi Keiji, descends the boat with Emperor Bokuto Koutaro. They both wore snow white clothing adorned with arctic fox fur. 

"If it isn't the sodomite Emperor and his male Empress." Atsumu chuckles, raising his hand to signal his archers to get ready to shoot. 

"If you do not wish to wage war, put those arrows down." Akaashi pulls Yachi behind him and Bokuto, his face a deadpan expression the whole time. "You are no match for the Toryu Empire. Drop you weapons."

Atsumu growls, with no other choice but to unhand their weapons. The Toryu Empire was bigger and more advanced in military equipment, they would most likely lose against them in war.

"I have already warned you before once, Atsumu." Yachi shakes her head at the crazy Emperor. "Instead of treating me better, you spat at me and pulled my hair until I felt like my scalp was on fire."

"Oh, you poor thing." Bokuto pulls Yachi in a hug and pats her head gently. 

"Why are you helping that weak bitch?" Atsumu growled out, baffled at the sight of his wife and omega in the arms of another Emperor. He was her property. 

"Oh, you didn't know?" Bokuto laughs, still patting her head. "Guess you really didn't care about knowing the origins of your Empress. Her mother and my father are siblings! Surprise, surprise!"

"Such a shame, really." Akaashi started, shaking his head as if he was disappointed. "You've got such a fine Empress yet you treat her like dirt."

"Since when did the Emperor of Toryu need to concern themselves over what we Seiryu Empire do?"

"Since you married your Empress, we had to care. She was a Princess of Toryu Empire." Bokuto ushers Yachi up the boat, taking one last glance at the quiet army of archers before boarding the rest of the people up. The they raise the sails as they pulled up the anchor of the kurofune, leaving the army speechless.

"I'm going to kill you, Yachi!!!" She heard him yell from a distance before the fog covered the seaside dock. 

She was free. She was finally free. Free from the torture, the abuse, and the pain. She was able to save her fellow female omegas.

A tear slips out her eye, throwing herself into the arms of Bokuto and Akaashi. 

"Thank you, cousin. Thank you, Akaashi-san. Without you, I would've been stuck with that crazy Emperor." Her hug was returned by both men, getting cuddled by them.

"It's nothing much!" Bokuto replies happily. "Also, call me aniue!"

"Um—"

"You can call me aniue, too." Akaashi smiles at Yachi.

"Thank you, aniue."

♚♚♚

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" The Emperor of Seiryu, Atsumu, yells out in frustration as he flips his study table over in anger. "That bitch! She took all our female omegas, now how am I to have a child to be my successor?!"

"My Emperor, calm down." The Emperor's advisor started picking up all the files that Atsumu threw on the floor.

"Shut up, Osamu!"

"That's Advisor Osamu to you, you stupid Emperor." He rolled the files and smacked the back of Atsumu's head with it. "I told you not to take it too far."

"Shut up! Since when did you care about what I did?!"

"Only now, to be frank, but anyways, we are in dire straits at the moment. We must make use of every minute. Give your order and I shall relay it." Advisor Osamu bowed at his Emperor twin, ready to serve him.

"Tch." Atsumu huffed, sitting haphazardly on his bamboo study chair, taking his smoking pipe made with azurite and puffed out a smoke cloud.

"Tell my subjects to gather in the meeting room as soon as the sun's rays peaks from the northeast, we must resort to using the male omegas!"

"Understood, my Emperor."

♚♚♚

Hello! Chae here qqq

This is my first hq fic so please bear with me 

I know the empires are kind of confusing you so let me explain:

All Empire's are in the Ryu Continent, which means land of Dragons.

Seiryu Empire - Azure Dragon Empire. They are known for their tyrannical emperors and their homophobic behavior towards male omegas. The Seiryu empire is the 2nd largest empire, and has an abundance of aquatic animals.

Kinryu Empire - Golden Dragon Empire. They are known for their month-long festivals and and their bright nature. They have an abundance of gold.

Koryu Empire - Fire/Red Dragon Empire. They are known for their fiery attitudes, strong military force, and volcanoes. They are the 3rd largest empire.

Suiryu Empire - Emerald Dragon Empire. They are known for their gentle nature and for their jewelry and cloth merchants. They have the highest export and trade rate.

Toryu Empire - Winter Dragon Empire. They are known for their fierce 8-month long weather, advanced military equipment and their cold indifference to anything happening in the Ryu continent.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed qqqqq


	2. The Order for Concubines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note:
> 
> Koshaku = Duke  
> Hakushaku = Count  
> Shishaku = Viscount
> 
> Kazoku means nobles/magnificent lineage

♚♚♚

The rooster crows at dawn, performing its daily duty of waking the whole palace up. Unfortunately for the rooster, 6 men were aready up

"What's taking the Emperor so long?" The Commander of the Azure Knights, Kuroo Tetsurou, tapped his foot impatiently, his boots clacking on the wooden floor. He was growing more impatient by the second. "If he was going to make us wait this long, he should've just scheduled the meeting during the afternoon! It's literally the crack of dawn!"

"Hey, quit your yapping, you stupid cat!" Seiryu's Koshaku, Iwaizumi, yells from the other side of the table. "If the Emperor said to gather at dawn, we gather at dawn."

"That is correct, Koshaku." The Imperial Stategist, Ushijima, quipps, a calm look on his face as he sat straight. He only observed the things happening in the meeting room while occasionally joining in the conversation.

"Commander Kuroo has a point, though." Shishaku Koganegawa was sitting at a 45-degree angle, slouching far down his chair. His bottom felt painful from how long he was seated on the bamboo chair.

Advisor Osamu suddenly bursts in through the door, raking his eyes over the whole room quickly. "Is all of the Kazoku complete?"

"Complete, Advisor Miya." Hakushaku Matsukawa replies curtly. Advisor Osamu stands by the sliding door, whispering something to the ear of the knights guarding outside.

"The Kazoku are complete! The Imperial Emperor is entering!" The knights state outside opening the doors to reveal the emperor in his blue yogi kimono, holding his azurite smoking pipe.

"Rise and bow to the Emperor." Advisor Osamu makes the Kazoku stand, all of them bowing in front of the Emperor. He was worn down and looked as if he had a permanent frown on his face.

"May glory befall the sun of Seiryu! Welcome, your Imperial Majesty." They all state in unison to greet the Emperor

"Sit down. Let's get straight to the point." The Emperor sits himself down with a plop, sighing loudly as he massaged the area between his eyebrows. Advisor Osamu stands beside the Emperor. "That bitch of an Empress of this country fled."

"Shall we appoint one of your concubines as the Empress-to-be?" The Imperial Knights doctor, Kenjiro, suggested with a deadpan look on his face. Atsumu only scoffs in return.

"She fled with our female omegas. All the concubines are gone." A round of audible gasps echoes in the room, the men, except for Advisor Osamu and Emperor Atsumu, baffled by what they heard. It almost seemed like a joke.

"Is this a joke?" Shishaku Koganegawa had a serious expression on his face, his hands clasped together on top of the table.

"Do you think I'm joking?" Atsumu glares at Koganegawa, who retracts his hands and shuts up. "Even your fiancee fled the country."

Everyone was at a loss for words.

"My Emperor, should we just take the Empress and the female omegas back by force?" Ushijima suggests politely, but Atsumu only scoffs at him.

"If we take that bitch back by force, it would wage a war with Toryu Empire." He spat out in annoyance, inhaling from his pipe to calm his mind down. He should have just chained the Empress in the cold palace if he knew she would do this.

"Why do we have to go at war with Toryu just to get back the Empress? My knights are at a disadvantage." Kuroo grumbles in his seat, slouching even further down. He didn't understand why they had to fight with Toryu when they could just take the Empress and the females instead.

"That's the problem, you oaf! That stupid Yachi was a princess of Toryu all along! Toryu is keeping all of those women under their wing."

"If we can't get the females back, that means the birth rate of the country goes down. Population would plummet..." Kenjiro mumbles, and with that, the whole room starts to go in a frenzy. The Emepror's subjects exchanging opinions or heated arguments over the table. They were all panicking. They definitely won't be able to get the Empress and female omegas back, since they are under the protection of the Toryu Empire.

"Silence!" The Emperor shouts, his powerful dominant alpha voice effectively silencing his vassals with one order.

"We still have one last resort." Atsumu's face was grim, his eyes clouded with annoyance and disgust.

"And that is?" The Kazoku were eager to hear the solution, after all, anything would be better than fighting against the Toryu Empire just to get a bunch of inferior women back into the country.

"We must make use of the male omegas." Commander Kuroo suddenly bursts out laughing, clutching his stomach as he continued to chortle. He was the only one making noise amidst the quiet room.

"Is there something so amusing, Commander Kuroo?" Advisor Osamu raises an eyebrow at Kuroo, who wipes a tear from his eye before he calmed himself down.

"It's very amusing, really. His Imperial Majesty, known for his distaste against male omegas, is now resorting to sodomy!" He laughs again, shaking his head.

"I apologize. It was just too flabbergasting for me to hold back." His gold eyes told he wasn't sincere with his apology.

"Very funny, Kuroo." Atsumu chuckles at his reaction towards what he said. "But you won't laugh once you know that you too need to have a male omega partner now. So you have a successor for your position."

Kuroo suddenly shuts up, partially disgusted. Most of the people in the room had a bitter distaste in their mouths because of what they heard. Only Kenjiro was calm, since he was a beta. Betas and omegas were not a good match, since betas have a hard time getting omegas pregnant.

"But your Imperial Majesty, you gave us an order before to kill all male omegas. I doubt there's any left in the empire, and if there are, I doubt they would be willing to step forward to become a concubine." Matsukawa states, concerned over the situation. The female omegas were gone, and the males have either been killed or gone to hiding.

"Be quiet. I have a plan." The Emperor waves his hand at Osamu, beckoning him closer.

"Advisor Miya. Send a letter to all the Empires except Toryu to send 25 male omegas each. We need 100 concubines. I doubt they would send us their females, so we have to have to suck it up."

"Understood, my Emperor. I shall send it as soon as the meeting is adjourned." Osamu bows.

"I will assign omegas to you all, the Kazoku. The rest will be my concubines. I will choose who the rightful omega can become my Male Empress."

"Understood, Emperor!"

♚♚♚

A few days after Advisor Osamu sent out the letter, the Kinryu Empire receives the letter.

"Urgent news! The Emperor of Seiryu Empire sent a letter!" The messenger of Kinryu bursts through the palace doors, startling the knights guarding inside.

"What?! That madman Emperor?!" The Advisor of Kinryu Empire, Advisor Washio, who was only passing by the main hall, yells in surprise. He quickly approaches the sweating messenger, who seemed to have rushed here.

"Y-Yes.. This is the letter they sent. Seiryu's Advisor said to take good care of the letter and deliver it straight to our Emperor." He takes out an eloquently designed blue envelope, with the Seiryu Empire insignia inked on the back and an insignia stamped on the wax sealing the letter.

"Good job for hurrying to the palace." Advisor Washio takes the letter and heads straight to the Emperor's office.

"My Emperor!!" He bursts through the doors, panic laced in his voice.

"Good Lord, Washio! Learn how to knock and state your name. What is so urgent that you had to burst through my office?" The Kinryu Emperor was old and tired, looking up from his paperwork.

"It's awfully urgent, my Emperor. The Seiryu Empire has sent a message!" Washio hurriedly hands over the letter, to which the Emperor opens with the letter opener knife.

His orange eyes waver as he read the letter.

"What....? He wants male omegas?!"

♚♚♚

"Hear ye, hear ye! All of the male omegas need to come to the palace!" The Kinryu town crier rings his handheld bell, his loud voice announcing the orders from the castle. People would peek out of their windows only to be surprised to see a group of Golden Knights, with their commander, following behind the town crier.

"Open all your doors!" The Commander's voice boomed through the main town, his midnight black hair glinting under the sunlight. "All families line up! I will check which ones can proceed to the palace!"

As the families pour out of their houses and line up, filled with curiosity and excitement, a certain prince runs towards the Emperor's Office, bursting through the door.

"Imperial Father! Imperial Father!!" The beloved Prince of the Kinryu Empire, Hinata Shouyo, falls at the feet of the Emperor, who has holding the Crown Princess in his arms. 

"Imperial Brother, what's wrong?" Crown Princess Natsu jumps out of the Emperor's arms and crouches beside her brother, patting him.

"Don't be dramatic, Shouyo. It should be an honor to serve as a concubine of Seiryu Empire." The Emperor harrumphs, sitting down on the resting couch. 

"Imperial Father, please! I beg of you! Please do not send me to Seiryu!" Prince Shouyo prostrates himself by the emperor's feet, his sister worriedly telling him to raise his head.

"The Emperor of Seiryu requested for 25 omegas, my son. It is your duty to lead them as the beloved Prince of this Empire." He crosses his legs, leaning into the chair with a sigh.

"I do not want to be sent to Seiryu as that mad dog's concubine!" He yells, still prostrating at the feet of the Emperor. "Please, Imperial Father!"

"Shouyo, it is not my fault you turned out an omega." The Emperor sighed, massaging his temples. "We have no choice but to send the best omegas, since the Seiryu Empire is only second in power to Toryu Empire."

"But Father, I—"

"Enough! I do not want to hear about your whining. I will allow you to bring your knight with you, that should keep you from feeling too alone." The Emperor stands up, walking to his study chair. "I need to get back to my duties, so I trust you will see yourself out. Bring Natsu with you."

"... Yes, Imperial Father." Prince Shouyo stands up and lowers his head, taking hold of his sister's hand and quietly left the office. The knights standing guard outside bows to both imperial highness as they walked the corridor of the palace.

"Aniue? Are you okay?" Princess Natsu gently tugs her older brother's hand, her tiny voice laced with concern. Shouyo only smiles weakly and nods. 

"I'm fine, Natsu. It's time for you etiquette lessons, so go ahead. I will go visit the imperial garden." Natsu nods, following her brother's orders as she was led away by a maid that was following behind the two. 

Shouyo, troubled by how he had to become a concubine of the tyrant emperor, books it towards the hidden spot in the garden, a place he knew he would find his tutor.

"Kei-san!" The Prince rushes towards his tutor, who was reading a book under the shade of the ginko tree. He dives into his tutor's lap, grumbling and ranting about how he had to depart. 

"There, there." The Imperial Tutor, Tsukishima Kei, seemed uninterested to listen to the prince's ranting, continuing to read his book. He pats the prince's head with his other hand.

"Isn't that Emperor known to be a homophobic person?! How come he wants to have male omegas now??? And why do I have to go? I don't like it, that Emperor's crazy!!" Hinata Shouyo was kicking and pounding his hands on the wooden bench as he lay face down on Tsukishima's legs. 

"Imperial Prince, if someone saw you like this, they would stop thinking you are a beloved, pure prince." Tsukishima stated with a blank tone. "Do not worry about the Emperor of Seiryu taking you in as a concubine. I doubt he would pay attention to you."

Hinata looks up from his tutor's lap, pouting. "Was that an insult?"

"No, it was not. I am only saying that because Koryu Empire is closer in power to Seiryu, so they are most likely going to choose a concubine to favor from there." He replies in a curt tone, not even bothering to put down his book.

"Kei-san, aren't you worried? You're also going to be sent since you're also an omega." This statement made Tsukishima stop reading and look at Hinata. 

"I do not need to worry. An Emperor would not favor a tall omega such as me." He goes back to reading, leaving the prince a sighing mess. 

"Your Imperial Highness!" The Commander of the Golden Knights, and Hinata's personal knight, Kageyama Tobio, bows at the prince and his tutor, a hand over his chest. 

"Kageyama, what is it?" Hinata looks up from lying on Kei's lap. 

"You must pack your garments. The Emperor has chosen the male omegas to send. We will be leaving by sunset."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter,,,
> 
> I also forgot to add that this is also posted on Wattpad, with the same title but under the account @fujoshtickss
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Arrival in Seiryu Empire

♚♚♚

It was a peaceful morning in the Kokuryu Empire as Emperor Kaori worked continuously, signing each paperwork with a pen made out of a quill. Each letter she had to write was neatly but quickly written, folding the letter into an envelope that was sealed with the empire's insignia.

Three soft knocks broke the comfortable silence, making the Emperor look up from her pile of work.

"Imperial Majesty, it's Sakusa. A letter from Seiryu came in today." The man stated from behind the door.

"Advisor Sakusa. You may come in." The sliding doors are opened by the knights guarding outside, revealing a tall man with curly black hair. In his gloved hand was a letter, presumably from Seiryu.

"What in the world could that tyrannical Emperor want from us? Is he bored and he wishes to wage war with us?" Emperor Kaori wondered, tapping her nails on her wooden office desk. Soundlessly, Sakusa places the letter on Kaori's desk.

She takes a letter opener knife from her stationary holder, slipping it under the wax seal to read the letter. She gently unfolds it to read the context of the letter, to which she gasps at.

"My goodness! He requests 25 male omegas? Is he out of his mind?" She asks incredulously, staring at the letter intently. She didn't know if she read it wrong or not.

Advisor Sakusa scoffs. "Imperial Majesty, I am quite sure he already has a few screws loose. It is quite concerning that he is asking for male omegas when he gave an order in his country to kill them all."

"Goodness! Do you suppose he would kill them all?" Sakusa blinks at her, a business smile on his lips. "Hm. I guess that is quite possible. It is him we're talking about."

The Emperor stares at the letter, pondering about her decision. She knew sending her people, her citizens, out to Seiryu would likely put them in a tough position. Was there a consequence of not accepting his request?

"I don't think we should accept this." She lets down the letter on her table, sighing.

"That is not a wise desicion, my daughter." The sudden entrance of the Empress Dowager startled the Emperor.

"Mother! You startled me!" Kaori put a hand over her chest. "What brings you here?"

"I heard that the Seiryu Emperor sent a letter." She approaches the Emperor, taking the letter from the table. "From what I overheard from your conversation, it seems he was asking for male omegas. It is no big deal, just give them."

"Imperial Mother!" Kaori raised her voice. "I cannot just give away my people like trading goods!"

The Empress Dowager glares at Kaori. "You will listen to me, child."

"I am the Emperor—"

"But I have more power in this country." Her mother cuts her words, a disappointed look in her face. "If you still object, I can take the crown away from you Empress."

"Mother! You are taking this too far!" The Emperor yells, standing from her seat. "Leave Yukie out of this!"

"I am warning you, child. I am the law in this country, even if you are the Emperor." The Empress Dowager lays the letter back down on the table, heading towards the door.

"I understand, Mother." Kaori sighs loudly, sitting herself back down. She massages her temples. "I shall make the omegas depart by tomorrow."

"Good girl." She chuckled as she looked back at the stressed Emperor, hiding her fox smirk behind her opened fan.

The sliding doors open as the Empress Dowager walks out.

♚♚♚

Dusk takes over the sky, painting the heavens warm shades of orange, red and pink as the sun sets northwest. A dark blue hue starts to blanket the sky, the stars that were previously invisible now visible to the naked eye.

Hinata peeks out his carriage window, staring at his knight.

The knight's hair was dark as midnight, but it glistened like resting water under the moonlight. His sharp-gazed eyes were facing forward, focusing on the path in front of them.

Suddenly, the knight faces Hinata, snapping him awake from his reverie.

"Your Imperial Highness, is there something you want to say?" Kageyama asks, slowing his horse down to move closer to the carriage.

"Uh, nothing's the matter! Anyways, what did I tell you about calling me by my name?" The Prince scolds the knight, who only frowned back at him.

"Imperial Prince, we are in public—"

"The coach man wouldn't care less, Bakageyama!! I'm bored, talk to meee!" Hinata sticks his head out the window, about to enjoy the breeze and the smell of fresh leaves before his head is pushed back inside the carriage.

"Hinata, boke! Keep your head in the carriage. What if someone was planning to assassinate you and shot an arrow at your head?" Kageyama yapped at him, to which he replied with a snort.

"Stupid! Who the heck would do that?" Hinata laughed at the idea, chortling loudly in the coach as Kageyama glared at the prince.

"An assassin, stupid!! Beloved and pure prince, my ass. If anyone saw you right now, they would call you an uneducated idiot!" Hinata stops laughing and gasps, putting a hand to his chest.

"Gasp!! Uneducated? Me? The Beloved Prince?" He wiped an invisible tear from his eye, faking a sniffle. "I am hurt. How can such an ugly man call me uneducated??"

He fans himself dramatically, looking like he was reenacting a drama.

"Why you— You just called me ugly, didn't you? And stop that melodramatic outburst of yours, its disgusting." Hinata gasps one more time, sticking his upper body out the carriage window to pull on Kageyama's hair.

"What do you mean disgusting, you dumbo?! Anyone would kill to watch my drama reenactments!" He continues to pull on Kageyama's hair, gripping it like vice. The knight struggles to stay on his horse, who was neighing loudly like it was about to start galloping.

"Ey, ey!" The coach man stomps on the floor, alerting the two who were fighting, albeit one-sided. "Stop that damned commotion back there! Yer going to tilt the carriage!"

"I apologize, sir! My knight was just a bit unruly!" Hinata replies to the coach man's complain, his voice filled with guilt.

"Yeah, yeah. Blame it all on me, stuuupid." Kageyama glares at Hinata, who only pulled down at his eye and stuck out his tongue, teasing the knight.

"They said only kids tease people like that. Are you a kid?" Kageyama raises his eyebrow at Hinata, who frowns.

"I'm not a—"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were one, since you're as small as a kid." The prince starts pulling on his knight's hair again, earning another scolding from the coach man.

"Ugh! You're so annoying." Prince Shouyo grumbles, crossing his arms as he slouched in the carriage seat. "I miss Kei-san...!" he drawled out.

"Too bad, so sad." The knight replied from outside the window. "A commoner can't sit with an Imperial."

Hinata pouts. "But he's the imperial tutor!"

"Still a commoner." Hinata sighs, leaning against the carriage door, staring at the sky filled with bright, twinkling stars.

"I wonder how Kei-san's doing. He must be scared, too. I really didn't want to go." The Prince closes his eyes, feeling the cool wind nuzzle his face. "I want to be with Kei-san. It's calming with him."

"Just wait a little bit longer. We'll setting up camp in a short while. You can see Kei-san, then." Hinata smiles at the information, his eyes still closed.

"You know, thanks for coming, Kageyama. I feel much safer with you here." He opens his eyes and smiles at the knight, who averts his eyes.

"Whatever! Of course I would come, I'm your personal knight, stupid!"

♚♚♚

Morning came over as the sun shone brightly in the sky, clouds scattered in the blue atmosphere. The birds did their daily morning songs, a clock for the people to finally wake up.

"Hinata, wake up!" Kageyama shook the prince awake, rolling him over. The prince was sound asleep, his mouth open as he snored loudly. "Hinata!" 

"Ow!" Hinata sprints up and holds his forehead, which got flicked by no one other than his knight, Kageyama. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Wake up, idiot! It's time to leave. Only 2 more hours until we arrive at Seiryu Empire." The knight hands over clothes worn by the Kinryuan imperial family. "Wear this. It will symbolize your power."

Hinata huffs, begrudgingly taking the garments. "It would be better if I was wearing ragged clothes, so the Emperor of Seiryu would never even breathe my way." Kageyama rolled his eyes at the statement, opening the tent door. 

"You best believe the Emperor wouldn't favor you, you're too ugly anyways. Now, go change into those clothes! We're running late!" The knight teases the prince before he exits the tent, leaving an annoyed Hinata sitting on his futon. He quickly changes into his garments and exits the tent, looking for Tsukishima.

"Kei-san!" Hinata dashes towards the tall blonde, circling his arms around his waist. "Kei-san, I missed you!" The ginger-haired prince rubbed his face on the tutor's clothes.

"Imperial Prince." Tsukishima had a blank look on his face as he held Hinata at an arm's length. "We were together only yesterday."

"Still!" He pouts, still holding onto Tsukishima. "I wanted to ride in the same carriage with you."

"That is not possible." The tutor responds curtly, making the prince groan. He's suddenly held by the collar.

"So this is where you were, you stupid prince." Kageyama was eyeing down Hinata, who chuckled nervously. "I told you we were running late! The people were just waiting for you to get into the carriage and lead the way!"

"Nooo...! I want to sit with Kei..!" He's dragged away by the collar by his knight, who headed towards the imperial carriage.

"Just sit!" He rushes the prince in, who hit his head going in the carriage.

"Argh! Fine, stupid Kageyama!"

♚♚♚

Finally, they were at Seiryu Empire. They were in front of the gates of the Azure Palace, which loomed over them. Hinata feels sick to the stomach as a pit of despair weighed on him. He was happy before he arrived, but now he was not. The Seiryu Empire was too intimidating.

Countless of people stood waiting for the palace gates to open, several nobles situated in front with their respective personal knights. He saw a short-haired boy whose hair was blonde and black, reading a book as he ignored his tall knight.

It looks like they were around a hundred.

"Is everyone complete?" A tall man with grey hair and bespectacled eyes asks loudly, holding a book in his hand. His light brown eyes looking over all the people sharply. No one replied to his question. The man only sighed in annoyance and tapped his foot.

"Nobility and merchant level, follow me." Hesitantly, Hinata decided to follow with Kageyama soundlessly trailing behind him. Only 4 were high-ranking omegas, which added to Hinata's dread. The Emperor would most likely choose someone to favor from the nobility, and there were only 4 of them! 

"Kageyama... I'm scared." He whispered to his knight, who only looked forward. 

"Don't think about it, Imperial Prince. You will be alright." The knight whispers back, reassuring the prince with his words. The tall, bespectacled man stops in front of the main palace's doors, facing the nobles and merchant-level omegas.

"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Miya Osamu, the advisor of the Emperor. You may call me Advisor Miya or Sir Miya." He introduced himself, fixing his glasses. His eyes were still looking at them with contempt, as if he was forced to be there. "Beyond these doors is the Emperor's throne room. He will be picking which main concubines to have. I advise you to not speak or do any unnecessary movements that could anger the Emperor."

The statement made dread pool in the bottom of his stomach, feeling himself break out into cold sweat. He didn't want to face the Seiryu Emperor at all.

The knights open the doors, revealing the Emperor's throne room. He sat on the throne, his sharp eyes staring at the omegas. His alpha pheromones were heavy in the air, weighing down on the omegas like an uncomfortable heavy blanket.

His gaze looked sinister, and Hinata met that gaze, which seemed to pierce through his whole body like an arrow. 

'He's looking at me...!'

Hinata sucks in his scream, fighting the urge to flee from his spot. He wanted to hide behind Kageyama or hug Tsukishima, but that would be a disgrace to his empire, so he forces himself to suck it up and be strong. 

"Osamu. Bring them closer." The advisor obliges, leading the omegas closer. The Emperor, who was resting his chin on his hand, stared at them intently one by one. He suddenly stands up, crossing his arms.

"Which one of you are royalty?" His deep voice asks, still staring at them. Hinata and the blonde-haired guy bows.

"Emperor." They say in unison. 

"Hm." Emperor Atsumu approaches Hinata, making him panic inwardly. He tries to remain calm and not show any emotion through his face as the Emperor tilted his chin. "You look pretty. Nice eyes, too. I can see that you're scared." 

He shifts his attention towards the blonde guy, tilting his chin up too. "You are no fun. You do not look scared of me at all." He lets go of the boy's face, taking a few steps back.

"What are your names?" He asks, watching the two of them with keen eyes. 

"Imperial Prince of Kinryu Empire, Hinata Shouyo." "Imperial Prince of Koryu Empire, Kozume Kenma."

"And the other nobles and merchant-class omegas, what are your names?" Atsumu crosses his arms again. "Do not state your empire anymore. It will take too long."

"Archduke Oikawa Tooru." "Earl Sakunami Kosuke." "Tsukishima Kei." "Satori Tendou~"

The list goes on for a few minutes before the merchant-class finishes introducing themselves.

"Commander Kuroo, Ushijima, Koganegawa." Atsumu was back on his throne, lazily watching over the omegas. The three approach him and bow, standing at the side quietly.

"I will give you your omegas as a gift for being diligent in work." He smirked, scanning over the omegas. "Kuroo, you can have Prince Kozume. Ushijima, take Satori Tendou. Koganegawa, Earl Sakunami. The remaining nobles are mine. Osamu, go through the commoners and pick the prettiest ones. Send them to the Ooku Palace." 

The advisor bows, leaving the throne room to sort through the commoners. Emperor Atsumu suddenly stares at Hinata, who starts getting nervous again.

"And you, Prince of Kinryu." He addressed the ginger-haired prince, who stood iced in his spot. "You will be placed in Hyacinth Palace. Kuroo, lead him to the palace. I shall visit you tonight."

Soundlessly, everyone was dismissed, piling out the throne room to go to their respective palace's that the maids lead them to. The Commander leads the way towards Hyacinth Palace, stopping at the foot of an elegant palace that was light blue and shone like gems. 

"Please feel at home, Imperial Prince." Kuroo bows at Hinata before leaving swiftly, on his way to fetch his omega. 

Hinata collapses as soon as he walks in the palace, his knees buckling in fear. 

Eyes wide, he mulled over what just happened. "Why me..?"

"Hinata!" Kageyama picks up the prince, climbing the stairs of the palace that lead to a 2nd floor. He searched for a room, finding a futon in one of them. He lays the Prince down, who was covering his face.

"Why did it have to be me?!" He sobbed out, sitting up and clinging onto the crouching Kageyama. 

"There, there." He pat Hinata's back softly.

"I'm scared." He sobbed into the knight's shirt, gripping his back.

"I know."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> To make up for not updating yesterday, here's a long chapter!
> 
> Atsumu is such a jerk but it's for the plot T_T Sorry guys
> 
> Aaaaaaaa
> 
> //cries//
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! qwq I feel like its not well written but I always feel that giergorjgreig
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless plug:
> 
> Wattpad @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	4. The Portrait on the Wall

♚♚♚

After the Kinryu Prince calmed down, his eyes were already red and puffy.

"Do you want me to ice it?" Kageyama asks Hinata in a concerned tone, who shook his head. He rubs his eyes, sniffling.

"My eyes will get better in a while." He lays down back on the futon, turning away from the knight who got annoyed.

"Hey, dumbass! Didn't thattyra— Ah, I mean, Emperor say he's going to visit in a while? You ought to start fixing your room up." Kageyama stands up from his crouched position, stretching his legs with a sigh. The prince was still lazing around on the futon laid on the ground.

"Why you— You're not even going to attempt to move? At least lie down on the framed bed over there!" The knight yells, pointing his index finger at the bed located at the right side of the room. Hinata just shrugs and clicks his tongue.

"Ehhh, I'm lazy. Pick me up." He stretches his arms out, insinuating he wants to be picked up. Kageyama massages his temples and grumbles under his breath, picking up the orange-haired prince who was too lazy to move. He dropped the latter on the bed, who almost rolled off from the impact of the fall. 

"Hey! I almost fell!" Hinata pinches Kageyama's side, who pinches him back.

"You stupid prince! If anyone from Seiryu saw you like this they won't hesitate to tattle on the Emperor who will most likely kill you." Hinata felt a shiver go down his spine as he finally stood up, rubbing his arms.

"Ugh, scary. I hope he forgets about my existence in a day so I can live in peace." He shivers again, unpacking his garments that were already placed in the room. Kageyama helps in settling in, helping Hinata make the room more comfy. They place several vases all over the palace, filling them with Kinryu Empire's national flowers, yellow begonia, chrysanthemums, carnations and primrose. All of the flowers gleamed under the sone, the light bouncing off the petals a golden color. It lit up the rooms warmly, making the palace feel cozy. 

"There. We're done." Hinata took a step back and admired his work, patting Kageyama's back heavily, who sneered. "The palace feels so cold since it's blue. I'm glad it looks better now that we filled it with the national flowers."

"Yeah, yeah. You can admire everything once you've fixed your medicine drawer. Where did you keep your heat suppressants and pheromone suppressants?" The knight asks the prince, rummaging through boxes. 

"My pheromone suppressants are in the medicine kit with the kampo herbs. It's in the box beside the one you're looking through." The prince continued to fix the arrangement of flowers by the window sill while the knight checks the medicine kit.

"Hinata. Where are your heat suppressants?" Kageyama's voice had an undertone of panic. Hinata stared blankly at him.

"Huh?" He had a vacant look on his face before his eyes lit up. "Ah! I remember!" 

The prince lifted up his clothes, revealing his undergarments.

"What the hell are you doing, dumbass?!" Kageyama yelled as he swiftly looked away, face turning red.

"Huh?" Hinata tilted his head in confusion. "What are you looking away for? I kept my heat suppressant pills in my underwear."

"In your underwear—?!" The dark-haired knight felt his head start to hurt. He sighed and massaged his temples, shaking his head. "I don't understand how an imperial prince can be so boorish."

"Hey! I heard that Bakageyama!" The prince throws a pillow at the knights head, who gets hit on the back of his head.

"It was meant for you to hear, you moron! Why did you keep it in your underwear?!"

Hinata stared at him like he was stupid. "Of course to keep it with me always. I can't hold a pouch with my pills everywhere, you know? Life hacks."

"Shut up about those stupid life hacks of yours. I'm going to the detached house to unpack. You wait for the Emperor. Greet him properly, okay? Don't be stupid." The knight stands up from his crouched position and heads for the door before throwing the pillow back at the prince.

"You meanie!" The door shuts close, leaving the prince alone in his chambers.

"So rude. Didn't even say goodbye." Hinata huffs out in annoyance, clicking his tongue. "Now what am I going to do for the meantime?"

A sudden thought pops into Hinata's mind.

"I guess I should just explore this palace! It's huge, anyways." He tells himself, happily heading towards the door and exiting, descending the stairs to explore the first floor.

The first floor was wide and filled with vases, fresh blue hyacinths occupying the space. It lined the hallways that seemed to be never-ending.

The prince continues to walk forward, finally reaching the end of the hallway. There was a large red curtain covering the wall, and it looked like there was something hidden behind it.

Curiosity taking over him, he pulls the tassel rope connected to the curtain, revealing a large portrait of a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing an intricate but large crown filled with dangling gold embellishments. She was wearing a blue 5-layer kimono.

Who was she? Did she live in here previously? Where was she now? 

Was she killed by the Emperor? 

Hinata shuddered, a strong shiver going down his spine. The palace seemed cold again despite the sun being high up in the sky.

"I should just... Go back." he pulls on the tassel rope a second time to close the curtains, swiftly walking back to the staircase to get to the second floor. Thst portrait was making him feel immensely uneasy. Maybe he should ask Advisor Miya if he's allowed to take it down.

The uneasy feeling didn't go away even when he entered his chambers, so he decided to read one of the books that was in the bookshelf. It was a fictional story, about romance between a beta and an omega.

Hinata frowns in confusion at the story description and gently slides it back in place, weirded out by what he found. Who in the world would read such a cheesy book in a palace as grand as this?

He takes another book. This time, it was non-fictional. It was the history of Seiryu Empire, which intrigued him.

"I'll just read this, I guess.." He starts flipping the pages, getting engrossed in the book.

And while he read, he hoped to Ryujin the Dragon God at the back of his mind that the Emperor would forget to visit him.

♚♚♚

It was now night.

Hinata did not notice that he fell asleep on the small table across his bed until he was woken up by his knight, Kageyama.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. It's time for supper." The knight shook the prince awake, laying a tray filled with food. It was his favorite dishes.

"Wha...?" The prince was still a bit disoriented as he woke up and blinked at the food. "Didya make that...?"

"Speak properly, dumbass prince. And yes, I made this. How inhospitable of them to not send any maids here." Kageyama clicked his tongue, proceeding to lay the dishes out one by one. It was a hearty, appealing meal that you wouldn't think was made by a knight.

Hinata took his chopsticks and started to dig in, only realizing how famished he was until he started eating.

"Did the Emperor come by while I was sleeping?" He asked with his mouth full. Kageyama frowned at him and outstretched his arm, using his thumb to wipe away the rice grain stuck on the prince's cheek.

"Surprisingly, he didn't visit. Maybe he did forget you. Congratulations on that." He chuckled, leaning his chin on his palm as he watched the carrot head eat.

"Why are you staring? Aren't you going to eat?" The Prince tilts his head and puts down his chopsticks. Kageyama only shook his head.

"I'm fine. I already ate a small meal before I served yours." He smiles softly, still observing the prince, whose cheeks were full with food. "Eat properly. Stop being so uncivilized. No one will steal your food."

"You shoulda just ate with me!" Hinata says with his mouth full, making the knight glare at the former. 

"Just stop talking and eat." He grumbles out, but Hinata was stubborn so he stuffed a dumpling in Kageyama's mouth.

"It's lonely to not eat with anyone, you know? Chew the dumpling properly, be happy I was kind enough to give you one." The knight grumbled again, muttering incoherent words under his breath. His cheeks were tickled pink as he looked away, chewing on the dumpling that was fed to him. 

Hinata grins as the two continue to eat in comfortable silence, bickering from time to time. They were finally relaxing since the Emperor had not visited them today. It was a good thing he didn't. 

"Are you done eating?" Kageyama asks, wiping another rice grain from Hinata's cheek. 

"I am. Are you gonna leave now?" The prince asks, neatly laying his chopsticks sideways on top of his bowl. He clasps his hands together and bows his head to thank the gods for the meal he just ate. 

"Yeah, come here for a moment." The knight ushers the orange-haired prince closer, who gladly obliges and inches nearer. Kageyama takes a small handkerchief from inside his sleeve and wipes the prince's cheek, which had a sauce stain. "Seriously. You're so boorish. Learn how to eat properly." 

"Fine, fineee. Whatever." He puffs his cheeks and pouts, huffing. "I'm going to go sleep now."

"Alright. I'll be training in the detached house. Just yell if something happens, okay?" Kageyama stands up, ruffling his master's hair with a grin. "Don't forget to turn on the lamp before you sleep so you won't get scared!"

"Stop treating me like a kid, stupid! I'm your age!" He blew raspberries at the knight, who only scoffed and smirked as he leaned on the door frame. 

"Really, now? If I remember correctly, last night you heard a sound and—"

"WAAAAAH! I can't hear you!! Just get out, you meanie!!!" Kageyama only chuckles, waving at Hinata who was fuming in the background. 

"Alright, alright. Goodnight, boorish Prince." He slides the door close, holding the the tray with empty bowls in one hand. 

"Ugh. I'm not a scaredy cat..." He pouts, picking up the book he has been reading since this morning. "I'm not drowsy yet, I guess I can read a few more chapters."

He keeps the light open, flipping through the pages before he's startled by yelling downstairs.

"I TOLD YOU TO SLEEP!!! TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!!!" Kageyama yelled from outside the palace, making Hinata screech. 

"Wah! Scary!" He yells back at the knight, his head out the window. "I'm going to sleep now!!!" He quickly turns off the light and opens the alcohol lamp, placing it on the small table he was previously eating at. 

Slowly, he peeks out the window to see Kageyama walking back to the detached house, holding his katana. He probably was training before he came to check on Hinata. Hinata breathes a sigh of relief, seating himself on a chair.

"I'll just continue reading~!" He hums to himself, picking up his book again to read. He got so engrossed in the book he didn't notice it was already midnight. 

"That was great!" He happily closes the book, laying ito n the small table. "But I'm still not sleepy..." 

"Good. At least you're still awake." A deep voice says, spooking the prince who fell off his chair. 

"W-Who is that?!" He yelps out, looking around frantically. The room was not brightly lit since the only source of light was the alcohol lamp on the table. A chuckle came from the door, the person stepping forward into the rays of the moonlight that shone through the open window. 

It was the Emperor. 

"O-Oh..." Hinata quickly picks himself up, bowing his head at the emperor. "Greetings, Imperial Emperor.."

"Hm." The Emperor comes closer, leaning towards the prince, who was extremely nervous. 

'Why is he here? What does he want? Why didn't he visit tomorrow instead?' All those thoughts were fluttering through Hinata's head as he stood in his place quietly, head bowed. 

"Call me Atsumu." He says softly, his hand caressing Hinata's cheek. 

"U-Uhm.. Emperor."

"Atsumu." He gruffs out, picking up Hinata and placing him on the bed. The latter swallows a scream and bites down on his lip, refraining himself from trying to get away from Atsumu's hold.

"Ah... Atsumu-san... What are you doing here so late at night?" He asks, flinching when Atsumu shot a cold blank look at him.

He chuckles, staring at Hinata as if he was stupid. "Why else would an Emperor visit his concubine at night other than to have sex?" 

The prince's eyes widen in surprise, frozen in his spot. He couldn't properly process what he just heard.

Sex? What? Right now? What?

Hinata's snapped back into reality once Atsumu's hands start to undress him, pulling at his obi and kimono. His hands were skilled and his garments were about to be fully removed in under a minute. 

"W-Wait, please!" He panics, struggling to cover his body. The emperor still continued to take off his clothes, roughly this time. 

"Please don't!" The prince resists the emperor's touch, his heart pounding wildly in panic and fear as the emperor began to kiss and lick his neck.

"Stop moving around. You are like a worm." Atsumu uses his body weight to pin the small prince's body down, kissing down to his exposed collarbone and chest. "Why can't I smell your pheromones? It will be hard to get up if I can't at least smell your pheromones."

Hinata continued to struggle beneath Atsumu, tears pooling at his eyes. He was glad that he at least drank his pheromone suppressants so he wouldn't be roughly assaulted. 

"Emperor, please stop..!" He sobbed out, trying to slip out of his grasp. The emperor growled in annoyance and squeezed the prince's shoulders. 

"What is wrong with you? Did I not tell you to stop moving?" He growled out, his sharp eyes glaring at the omega prince who trembled in his hold. 

"Please don't..!" He looks away from the emperor, whose nostrils flared in annoyance. 

"For an omega, you are so shy. Is this your first time?" He scoffs, finally letting go of the prince who swiftly covered himself with a blanket. Tears were still streaming down his eyes. 

"Y-Yes...." Hinata's forced to answer, strill trembling in fear as he hugged himself. Atsumu clicks his tongue in annoyance. 

"Tsk. A virgin omega, huh? The former empress of this land was like that." He chuckles sardonically, getting off the bed as he fixed his wrinkled and loose clothes. "Fine. I will not touch you for now. I shall wait for you heat to come. For now, loosen your bottom so you can get used to something penetrating it."

He clicks his tongue another time, turning away and slamming the door close. 

He finally left. 

Hinata, quivering under the covers, waits for a few minutes before he shakily walks towards the deatched house, not even bothering to wear his zori. Kageyama was still training himself with his katana, sharp moves cutting through the wind. 

"Kageyama.." Hinata sniffled, tripping over his feet as he walked towards the knight. The knight, shocked to see the prince so ragged and disheveled while crying, drops his sword and heads towards the prince.

"What happened, Shoyo?!" He exclaims in concern, holding onto the prince who was shaking like a leaf. He then notices the red marks on his neck and open chest and suddenly glared.

"Did that disgusting emperor do that to you?" Hinata nods weakly, making the knight growl. 

"I'm sorry for not protecting you well." Kageyama feels riddled with guilt, picking up the prince and heading towards the detached house. He lays the prince down on a futon, lying down beside him to give him comfort. Hinata was quiet, still sniffling as he embraced the knight tightly in a fearful hug. 

"I'm sorry, Hinata.. I'm sorry." He repeats this throughout the night, apologizing to the prince countless of times until the prince fell asleep. 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Sorry I don't update everyday lolol
> 
> I was re-watching and rereading Haikyuu since s2 to s4 finally came to Netflix
> 
> I was literally hell bent on finishing re-watching s2 to s4 and rereading the manga in 2 days so that put my head into overdrive and now my brain is having a system overload HAHAHAHA
> 
> I was able to succeed though,,, as you can see I'm giving you this update -w-
> 
> Also uh quick note,,,
> 
> This story isn't your typical hq fic, atsumu wont really have that much redeeming qualities since the main genre is angst
> 
> So just uh,, keep that in mind
> 
> Btw I really want to draw Knight Tobio wiping the corner of Prince Shoyo's mouth grgrgrgr so y'all best expect to see a drawing in the next chapter 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading!!!
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless plug:
> 
> AO3: @chaexijun  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> Main account: chanhoed
> 
> ===


	5. A Fairy in the Garden

♚♚♚

It was the second day in Seiryu Empire.

The sun was shining bright through the window, the glare of it's rays blinding the blonde prince, who grumbles in annoyance. 

"Lev, what did I say about keeping the blinds open when I wake up?" Prince Kozume Kenma grumbles out, turning in his bed to block the sunlight with his back. His tall knight, Haiba Lev, laughs happily as he poured the morning sencha tea calmly. 

"It's a sunny morning, Prince Kenma! Sunlight is good for your skin!" He chirps out, laying the teapot on the small tea table. "Rise and shine, Imperial Prince! It's time to wake up!"

"... Would you stop being so noisy, Lev?" Kenma hides under the covers, not wanting to stand up. Lev curiously approaches the prince, lifting the covers off his head.

"Prince! Do you want me to pick you up?" He asks with a big smile. The prince sneers, taking a pillow to smack the knight on his face. 

"Get out of my face. I'll stand up myself." He still had a sneer on his face as he stood from his bed, stretching his arms up high like a cat. "Where are the maids?"

"Hm?" Lev tilts his head in confusion. "Oh, right. Your alpha said he would would send them in this afternoon."

"My alpha?" Kenma's sneer deepened even further. "Don't call him that. It's revolting." 

Lev tilts his head further in confusion, as if he didn't understand. "Huh? But isn't he your alpha?"

"Hush, you big oaf. Shut it." Kenma sat at the tea table, picking up the tea cup to sip the sencha tea. "Did he say anything about visiting?" 

The knight took a seat in front of the prince, who was serenely sipping his tea. His eyes were still sleepy and half-open, but he was doing his best to stay awake. 

"He never said anything about visiting." Lev picked up a tea cup, sipping on the warm beverage. The prince sighs in content, yawning as he finished his drink. 

"That's good. I want to take a walk after drinking tea." 

"Imperial Prince, are you not going to eat breakfast?" The knight asks his prince, who slowly shook his head.

"I'm not hungry. And I am not going to eat anything you cook." He says bluntly, making the knight gasp and hold a hand over his chest.

"Am I that horrible...?" He whimpers out in fake sadness, his eyes glinting in mischief. Kenma sighs and rolls his eyes. 

"Yes, you are that horrible." Kenma stood up and lay his tea cup on the tea table, heading over the window to bask a bit in the sunlight. "Now get out. I will change into outdoor clothes." 

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Lev's eyes were filled with concern that Kenma scoffed at.

"I said get out."

♚♚♚

Kenma, now changed into the Koryu Empire's clothes, wore a muted red haori that had a dragon scale design, his inner kimono a light cherry red and pink color. The sun was now covered by the clouds, making the weather cloudy. It was a nice day to be outside since the sun wasn't glaring directly down at them.

"Lev." Kenma waves the knight closer, who leans down to the prince's height. "I want to visit the Ooku Palace Library." 

"Ooh, okay! I'll ask around where the library is!" He chirps out, approaching the palace servants to ask for directions on where the library is. A few minutes later, he's back with a bright smile on his face. 

"I know where it is, Imperial Prince! Please, follow me!" The tall knight joyfully leads the way, making the prince sigh at his eagerness. It was so early but Kenma was already getting tired at how eager Lev was. 

They come across tall double wooden shoji doors, a placard above the door with calligraphy that Kenma couldn't read. It was too high up.

"Lev, what's written on the placard?" He pokes the knight, who stands up straight to read the calligraphy written on the placard. 

"It says 'Library', Prince! We've arrived!" He states, sliding the door open for the prince. The prince enters first, pulling his knight by the sleeve, who hits his head on the top of the door frame. 

"Ah, sorry. It's because you're so tall." The prince apologizes curtly, continuing to pull the knight by his sleeve. They seated themselves on the seat by the large window that overlooked the Ooku Palace garden. Outside the window, Kenma notices a slender male sitting under a blue jacaranda tree, holding a book in one hand. He looked serene despite being alone in an unfamiliar empire.

"Are we going to play board games today, Prince?" Lev asks, his eyes glistening in excitement. 

"Not today, Lev. I just want to read quietly." Kenma stands up to pick up a book form the science section, making the knight pout. 

"Awww, you're only going to read? But that's boring!" He whines out, making the prince shoot a deadpan look at the knight. 

"Be quiet. I want to read while trouble hasn't come." He picks up his book and starts to read, ignoring the sighing knight across him. 

"What trouble? Why would trouble come? I'm here to protect you!" Lev exclaims, frowning in confusion at the prince who was quietly reading. 

The doors of the Ooku Palace Library suddenly slide open, revealing a tall knight in blue clothing.

"Ah. There you are." He approaches the two, walking briskly. 

Kenma sighs, clicking his tongue. "Trouble has come." Annoyed, he lays down the book he was reading on the table, looking at the knight who was right beside him. 

"What is it?" Kenma had a blank expression on his face, staring at Commander Kuroo, who was frowning. 

"Listen well. Don't expect me to touch you just because you're the omega the Emperor assigned to me. I'm not interested in you, one bit. I don't want to see you in my sight. Are we clear?" Lev stands up, about to start a fight with Kuroo. It seems he got angry with what Kuroo said. 

"Lev, stand down." Kenma calmly stops the knight, who sits back down roughly. "I don't expect anything from you. In fact, it's better that we do not get involved with each other. I am not interested in you, either."

Kuroo scoffs and smiles sardonically. "That's good, then. I hope we don't see each other again."

He quickly turns his back on the prince and his knight, swiftly walking towards the shoji doors and exiting loudly as he slammed the door close. 

"So loud..." Kenma clicks his tongue, proceeding to read again. 

"Imperial Prince! Are you really going to allow such a rude man to treat you that way?! Do you want me to teach him a lesson?!" Lev was fuming, angry that someone even dared treat his master that way. The audacity that man had! 

"Be quiet, Lev. I don't care whether he spoke rudely or whatever. As long as we don't see each other again." Kenma flips the pages of the book he was reading, not even bothering to look up at his knight. 

"But, Prince—" 

"Shush. I really do not care about being cast aside, Lev. As long as its peaceful again." The prince mutters under his breath, leaving his knight concerned for him. 

"I understand, Prince..." 

♚♚♚

As Commander Kuroo briskly walked the hallways of Ooku Palace, he passes by the Ooku Garden that was situated in the heart of the palace. 

There he saw a willowy-built male in light gold garments, reading a book under a blue jacaranda tree. His golden eyes were bespectacled, focusing entirely on the book he was reading as if he was in his own world. 

He looked like a fairy, with the soft light shining through the leaves and projecting a shadow on his whole body. 

His pale blonde hair flowed gently in the wind, in the same direction of his loose sheer clothes. 

Mindlessly, as if it was on instinct, Kuroo approached the male, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

"Who are you..?" The male turns his head to look at Kuroo, whose eyes turn wide. 

The male's face was absolutely beautiful. He had long, thick lashes, a soft nose, and thin, light pink lips. 

His eyes were a sleepy shade of gold, hidden behind an elegant pair of eye glasses. 

"My name is Tsukishima Kei. Do you need something from me?" He replied curtly, seemingly uninterested in their conversation. 

Kuroo snaps out of his dream-like state and clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. It was stupid to just suddenly stare at someone. 

"I apologize. I was wondering why an alpha or beta such as you was doing in here.." Kuroo's mind was still a mess. 

'This man looks too pretty to be an alpha or beta.' He thought, his hand still on the person's shoulder. 

The male chuckles, gently taking Kuroo's hand off his shoulder. 

"I am actually an omega, though my height may make me look like an alpha." He had a soft eye smile on his face that could melt someone's heart. 

"I-I see..." The commander is at a loss for words as he continued to stare at Tsukishima, who was still smiling at him. 

He indeed looked like a fairy, a surreal being not part of this world. 

"Is there anything else you would like to ask me, sir?" He asks, his sleepy eyes glinting beautifully under the sun. 

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself." Kuroo takes a step back to bow at Tsukishima. "My name is Kuroo Testurou. I'm the Commander of the Azure Knights." 

"I see." Tsukishima still had his soft smile. 

"Uh.. Are you assigned to anyone right now?" Kuroo blurts out instinctively, making the tall blonde omega chuckle. 

"I am not." He replies, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge. 

"Then.. Can I see you again?" The commander blurts out again, making Tsukishima look at the falling petals of the jacaranda flower. 

"If you wish to meet me again, then I cannot say no." 

"I-I see.." The commander felt mixed feelings as he continued to converse with the blonde omega. What the hell was he even doing? Was this his alpha instinct? Awhile ago, he was literally telling the omega assigned to him by the Emperor to never show up in front of him. 

So what the hell was he doing right now? 

"I apologize. I must have bothered you. I must go. I shall see you again next time." Kuroo bows swiftly at Tsukishima, turning away to walk briskly back to the military camp. He shouldn't have spoken to that omega. 

"Damn! Why am I such a sucker for the tall pretty ones?" Kuroo scolds himself, slapping himself on his cheek as he walked away. 

Tsukishima observed the man as he walked further, disappearing in the distance. 

Then he stops smiling, clicking his tongue. 

"I've got trouble." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	6. Kindness of a Maid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday was the official release of Haikyuu's chapter 401, so here's a tribute to our freak quick pair Kagehina! Fluffy Kagehina moments coming right up!

♚♚♚

It was morning again. 

Hinata felt tired as he woke up, casually rubbing his eyes as he stretched comfortably in bed. 

'Huh? Bed?' He thought to himself as he yawned loudly, rolling to the side. 'I don' t remember falling asleep...' 

He suddenly comes face to face with Kageyama and yelps, surprised to find his knight with his eyes wide open beside him. 

"What the heck?! Why are you just staring at me? Aren't you supposed be up and about before me???" Hinata quickly sits up and puts some distance between them, his hair sticking out in all directions. 

"I was awake before you." Kageyama groans as he sat up groggily, holding his right bicep and massaging it roughly. "But because of a certain someone sleeping on my arm, I couldn't stand up and train."

Embarrassed, Hinata looks away, a pink blush dusting his soft cheeks.

"Have they sent the maids yet?" He changes the subject, still embarrassed. The prince stood up, breathing in the cold morning air that seemed to envelope him as soon as he got out of the futon. 

"They have. I told them to leave you be until I say so." The knight stands up as well, stretching before taking his sheathed sword that was leaning against the corner. He was already going to train. 

"Why didn't you just bring me to the Hyacinth Palace after I fell asleep?" Hinata sighs as he took a brush from the side of the kitchen counter, brushing through his stubborn bed head that kept wanting to stay unkempt. The knight scoffs and smirks. 

"How could I bring you there when last night you kept clinging onto me and calling my na—" His sentence was cut short by the prince, who was yelling and had his hands over his ears.

"What?! What?! I can't hear you!! Shut up!!!" His blush spread all the way to his ears. He couldn't believe he clung onto Kageyama that hard last night! 

"Seriously, you're so loud. I guess that means you've forgotten about last night, huh?" The knight shot him a guilty smile while holding his nape, looking like it was all his fault that Hinata got assaulted by the Emperor. 

"I'm fine." The orange head blurts out automatically. "It's fine. It's not like the Emperor warned us that he would be assaulting me, you know???" 

Kageyama frowns at what he said, gritting his teeth in annoyance. 

"No. It's not fine. If only I knew that damned psychopath would be visiting at the dead of the night, I would have—" His sentence is cut short once again by Hinata, who covers his mouth with the brush he was holding. 

"That's enough, Kageyama. I don't want to talk about it." 

Kageyama looks down to stare at Hinata. 

His golden orange eyes that always shone so bright had a layer of fear under it, his oculars clouded with multiple emotions. 

At that moment, Kageyama understood. 

They should just stop talking about it. 

"... Alright." The knight sighs, patting the prince's head awkwardly. The latter gives out a big grin. 

"Is your bicep still hurting?" He asks, an innocent but scheming smile painted on his lips. 

The knight eyes the prince suspiciously, massaging his aching and numb arm. 

"Yeah... Why?" He's taken by surprise when the prince places both of his hands on his bicep, softly massaging it. 

"H-Hey... What the—" 

"Can you just stop complaining for a second and let me do this? I slept on your arm, this is the least I should do." Hinata was focused on massaging the knight's bicep, a wide grin plastered on his face as he concentrated. 

"Fine. Do whatever you want." The knight had no other choice but to allow him, mumbling incoherent words under his breath as he looked away. A slight blush was creeping onto his cheeks. 

Looks like someone was a bit embarrassed. 

After a few minutes, Hinata lets go of his arm, a satisfied smile on his face. 

"Do you feel better now?" He asks in a chirpy tone, his eyes back to shining bright. His mood felt uplifted already. 

Kageyama nods. "Surprisingly, it does feel a lot better."

"Right? Right?" He grins happily, proud of himself. "I did well, didn't I?" 

A smile crept onto Kageyama's face as he placed his hand on Hinata's head, ruffling his hair gently. 

"Yes, yes, you did well." He chuckled. "Now go back to Hyacinth Palace and take a bath. You reek of snot." 

"H-Huh?!" Hinata smells all over his sleeves in a panic. "No I don't! And snot doesn't smell like anything!!" 

The black-haired knight smirks at the prince, who was frowning. "So you've smelled your own snot? That's disgusting."

"Ugh!" Hinata grumbles, miffed. "Seriously, you..! Whatever, stupid Kageyama!!" 

He does the akanbe pose at the knight, pulling down at his eyelid and sticking his tongue out before running off towards the Hyacinth Palace. 

Morning dew covered the leaves of the blue jacaranda trees and pearl grass, leaving the grass damn and cool. 

The sun was early to rise, shining down at trees that seemed to shine like jewels. 

'I should just forget it.' He tells himself, slapping both sides of his face. 'No point in remembering bad things.'

With a determined gaze, he enters the palace, shivering as his bare feet touched the cold wooden flooring. 

Ah. Right. Last night he was too busy trembling towards Kageyama that he forgot to wear his zori sandals. 

He raises his feet, his soles a dark color from walking on the damp grass. 

"Urgh.. Yuck." He groans, wiping his feet on the mat by the getabako. "I really should take a bath..."

He grumbles again, muttering complaints about having to bathe with cold water as he walked up the stairs, accidentally glancing down at the hallway on the first floor. 

The large red curtains that were covering the woman's portrait was slightly open, revealing parts of her face. 

A shiver travels down Hinata's spine as he quickly walked up the stairs without looking back. 

"Creepy. I'm sure I closed those properly..." Spooked out, he decides to shake his head to forget about unnecessary things and entered the bath room. 

Much to his surprise, the bath tub was already filled with water, which was warm and steamy. On the dresser by the door was a note. 

Good morning Prince. 

Sir Kageyama told us not to disturb you for a while, so we will meet you this afternoon. 

I have prepared your bath, I hope it is to your liking. 

\- Head maid 

Hinata broke out into a touched smile, a smile that reached his ears. The head maid sounded like a wonderful person, and he could not wait to meet her. 

With the bath ready for him, he takes off his garments and gets in the tub, enjoying a warm bath. 

♚♚♚

"Kageyama! Let's go!" Hinata runs out of Hyacinth Palace, encountering his knight who was leaning on one of the palace's pillars, waiting for him.

"You're wearing orange again? Aren't you tired of looking like a tangerine?" Kageyama retorts at him, looking over the prince. 

The prince was wearing a similar orange inner kimono from yesterday, and a sheer light yellow haori on top. 

"I'm not a tangerine!" He scoffs out, shooting a dirty look at his knight. "Anyways, Kageyama, guess what?" 

"I can't guess it. Just tell me." Kageyama replies so seriously and curtly that Hinata sneers at him. 

"Seriously? That was just a saying. Anyways, the head maid actually prepared my bath for the morning!" 

"I see." 

"It was warm water! Warm!!" He circles happily around Kageyama, who was sheathing his blade. 

"I see." 

"Isn't she so nice??" Kageyama grabs Hinata by the shoulders, a pissed look on his face. 

"Stop circling around me. She's not being nice, she's just doing her job." Hinata glares at the knights, a hmph automatically making its way out his mouth. 

"She left a note to inform me about it, and wished that I enjoyed my bath. She is nice, I know it!" The prince bickers with the knight, who rolls his eyes. 

"Okay, okay, whatever. You said you wanted to go. Are you going to take a morning stroll?" Kageyama asks, tying his sageo onto his obi to secure the scabbard of his katana to his waist. 

"Ah. I want to look for Kei-san!" He drawls out, covering his face with his hands dramatically. "After what happened, seeing Kei-san will heal me!!" 

"Tsukishima-san, huh? If we're going to find him, he's probably going to be in a garden or a library." Hinata perks up and happily claps his hands. 

"Nice! Do you know where the garden is?" He asks, eyes brimming with excitement, expectant for an answer. Kageyama looks at him with a deadpan stare. 

"Of course I do. I memorized the Ooku Palace's map yesterday." He stated as if it was the easiest thing to do in the world. 

"Good! Now lead the way!" Hinata yells in excitement, making the knight sigh in embarrassment. He keeps quiet and leads the way, walking through several hallways before reaching the middle of Ooku Palace. The garden was right in the center, beautiful bejeweled blue trees covering the place like a forest of sapphires. 

Tsukishima was reading under a tree, totally focused on the book he was reading. 

"Kei-san!!" Hinata yells out, making the bespectacled man turn to look at the prince. "Kei-san, I was looking for you!" 

He dashes towards the tall omega, rushing to bury his head on his lap. 

"Imperial Prince. We are in Seiryu Empire. Please behave well." Tsukishima replies in a monotone voice, eyes uninterested. 

"But Kei-san.." Hinata whimpered, raising his head. He had puppy dog eyes. "Kei-san, the Emperor assaulted me last night."

"The Emperor what?" Tsukishima was suddenly focused on Hinata, who was pouting sadly. He always acted like a child in front of his tutor. 

"He assaulted me." The prince repeats what he said, making Kei click his tongue. 

"Don't go near that Emperor. Don't even breathe if he's near. Next time, pretend you're asleep if he visits." He floods Hinata with warnings, making the latter grin happily and hug the waist of his tutor. 

"If its you who tells me that, then I'll gladly listen, Kei-san!" 

"Good." Kei cracks into a small smile and pats the prince's head before they're interrupted by an azure knight. 

"Are you Tsukishima Kei?" The azure knight asks the bespectacled man, who stared at him blankly. 

"Yes, I am. Do you have and business with me?" He gently pushes the prince's head off his thighs. 

"Our commander is requesting for you." The knight replies. 

Tsukishima looks annoyed, clicking his tongue. 

"Ah. I see." Kei fakes a gentle smile. "I apologize, Imperial Prince. I must attend to something."

"Aww. Okay." Hinata pouts, feeling sad. He wasn't able to talk to Tsukki for a long time. The latter leaves with the knight, turning around to wave goodbye to Hinata before heading straight. 

"Now what? I don't know what to do..." The prince flops onto the bench that Tsukki was sitting on, staring at the leaves of the tree above him.

"Why don't we visit the library? It's right beside the garden, anyways." Kageyama suggests, pointing at the library doors that were right beside the garden. 

"Hmm." Hinata pouts, sitting up. "I guess I could check out some books."

They head over to the library, Kageyama sliding the shoji doors open for Hinata as he entered first. He was back to being excited again, humming as he slid between a row of books, happily checking each title to see which ones interest him. 

Between the small gap of the books, he notices a young man sitting with his back facing him, a tall person clad in knight clothing across him. 

They were the same people he noticed the day they arrived at the Seiryu Empire, and they also were the same people who introduced themselves as an Imperial from Koryu Empire. 

"Hello!" He greets the two, peeking out from behind the bookshelf. 

"Hey, you're that kid from before!" The knight gasps and points at Hinata, making the blonde man across him slap his hand. 

"Lev, pointing is rude. I apologize. You are Prince Hinata Shouyo.. Right?" The blonde tilts his head, wondering if he was correct. 

"Yeah!!" Hinata's eyes brighten, approaching the two. "You're Prince Kozume Kenma! Please call me Shouyo instead." 

"Alright, Shouyo." Kenma breaks out in a small smile. "This is my knight, Haiba Lev."

"Wow.. He's so tall." Hinata seemed envious of Lev's height, who grinned at him smugly. "That grumpy one behind me is my knight, Kageyama Tobio." 

"Huh?" Kageyama grouses out. "Who are you calling grumpy?" 

"See? Grumpy." Lev chuckles at Hinata's sentence, annoying Kageyama. 

"Anyways, Kenma, are you free right now?" He was waiting for an answer expectantly, making Kenma smile again. Shouyo was such a bright person, it made him feel warm. 

"I'm free right now." 

"Really? Then please play shogi with me!" Hinata rushes to the the bookshelf, picking up the shogi board hidden in the corner. 

He sets up the game on the table, giving Kenma his 20 pieces. 

They both arrange their footsoldiers, lances, knights, gold generals, silver generals, bishops, chariots and Kings across each other. 

Hinata tosses a furigoma, and receives a higher number of promoted pawns rather than unpromoted pawns.

"Aw man. I play second, then." They start the game, both equally competitive. They were toe-to-toe in the game, both taking over pawns one by one. 

The match was ended by Kenma, who reaches a checkmate against Hinata. 

"Checkmate." Kenma smiles triumphantly while Hinata grinned. 

"Nice match!" The orange-haired prince exclaimed, shaking Kenma's hand. 

"Let's play again next time, alright?" He stands up to bow at the blonde prince. "I'll be going now! I have to meet my maids." 

"Alright. I will be at the library again if you wish to find me." He smiles softly at Hinata, who waves goodbye and pulls his annoyed knight out the room. 

"Imperial Prince..." Lev was looking at Kenma with proud eyes, making him frown in confusion. "This is the first time I've seen you smile so much...." 

"I couldn't help it. Shouyo makes me feel like I'm walking under the sun." 

♚♚♚

"Good afternoon, Prince Hinata." Hinata is greeted by a row of maids as he entered the Hyacinth Palace, bowing at him deeply.

"Good afternoon!" He replies in a cheerful tone, making the maids sigh in relief and smile. They were glad that the concubine they were serving now was a sweet person.

"Greetings, Imperial Prince Hinata. I am Shimizu Kiyoko, the head maid." She bowed at Hinata, who happily bows back.

"You're the maid who prepared my bath this morning, right? Thank you for that!" He thanks Shimizu, making her smile softly.

"I am glad you appreciate it." She replies. "We have prepared your lunch, please follow me to the dining room."

"Is there meat?" Hinata asks, making the quiet Kageyama perk up.

"We have pork, veal and beef prepared."

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Meat is god!" Hinata sings out, swishing his fingers as he followed Shimizu.

"I'll just.." Kageyama barely stops hinself from gulping. Meat was taking over his mind. "I'll be training.."

Shimizu chuckles softly. "Sir Kageyama, we prepared enough food for both of you. I am sure Prince Hinata would not mind eating with you."

"I don't mind! Come on, Bakageyama, let's eat meat!!"

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	7. The First Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I did something on impulse,,,,
> 
> 😔👉👈
> 
> It'll be in the notes down below hsjshdhs anyways I was partly being a dumbass and partly being very smort
> 
> Also,,,,,
> 
> I know you guys don't like atsumu here,,,,, but uh,,,, a kinda cute atsuhina moment where atsumu isn't an asshole down below,,,,, 
> 
> hehe
> 
> Also,, TRIGGER WARNING:: Murder & slight gore

♚♚♚

A week has passed in the Seiryu Empire.

Hinata and Kenma regularly met up, having shogi matches left and right. They even played different board games like go, gungi and fan mian. They would play the whole day, sometimes even reaching night. Afterwards, they would eat together in the Hyacinth Palace and tell urban legends and stories from their empires.

Hinata felt energetic everyday, looking forward to meet up with Kenma. He was his only close friend in this large, unfamiliar empire.

'Well, I guess I can count Lev-san in as a friend.' He thought to himself as he chuckled softly, sipping his morning oolong tea that his head maid Shimizu poured for him. It was a cool Saturday morning, the perfect day to spend time with Kei-san. 

Hinata sighed, pouting. For some reason, he couldn't seem to meet up with Kei-san even though they were in the same palace walls. Just what was keeping him so busy everyday?

"Imperial Prince." Soft knocks rapped the wooden door frame. "The Imperial Emperor came to visit you." 

Hinata felt his stomach drop from what he had just heard. The Emperor was here? This early? Was he going to force himself on him again?

He couldn't ask Kageyama for help right now. It was a reckless thing to do. It would just put them both in danger, and in the worst case scenario, Kageyama could get executed. He didn't want that to happen. 

'I guess I just have to suck it up then.' Hinata felt empty as he came to that conclusion, sighing as he went to the bedside table to take his pheromone suppressants. While taking his pills, he finds the bottle that Kenma gave to him the other day. 

"Listen, Shouyo. You don't like the Emperor, right?" Kenma held up a clear glass bottle that held red pills. There was no label on the bottle. "I'm giving this to you. It prevents you from having your heat when you're near. It's basically a stronger type of heat suppressant, and it instantly delays your heat for 1 month. Be careful with this, okay? Take it only when the Emperor visits you again."

Picking up the bottle of pills and popping the cap open, Hinata takes one pill and pops it in his mouth, downing it with the oolong tea he was previously drinking.

"Imperial Prince? Are you awake?" Shimizu asked from outside the room, snapping the prince out of his reverie. 

"Um, yes! Please come in, Imperial Emperor." He stood straight nervously, waiting for Atsumu to enter. The shoji doors slide open, revealing the Seiryu Emperor, clad in blue clothing. He looked normal today, at least.

"Good morning, Hinata." Atsumu approaches the prince, cupping his cheek and kissing it, which surprised the latter. His eyes were wide in confusion and embarrassment, his mouth opening and closing several times like a fish out of water.

"W-W-W-What are you doing, Emperor?!" He yells out, holding his cheek as he jumped backwards to put some distance between them. Was he trying to surprise him so he could harass him again? What the heck was that?

The Emperor tilts his head, frowning. "Hah??? Why are you so surprised? Is it wrong to kiss your favorite omega?"

"Huh?" Hinata takes another step backwards, still confused. Did he slip and hit his head somewhere?

'Should I just ignore what he said? I'll just ignore it, whatever.' 

"Why are you so far from me? Come here." Atsumu beckoned Hinata closer with his finger, sitting on his bed. 

"Huh? I'm fine over here..." He muttered under his breath, looking down. Why was Atsumu being so weird today?

"I said come here." Atsumu said in a stern voice, making the prince flinch. He obliges, albeit reluctantly, and inches closer, squeaking in surprise when he's suddenly pulled into the Emperor's lap.

'What the hell is happening.' Hinata's mind was in disarray, a fleet of emotions and thoughts flying past in his head a hundred kilometers per second. He was sitting in the Emperor's lap, who was holding onto his waist. 'No way... Is he planning to assault me in this position?!'

The prince shivers, terrified of the idea of being assaulted while sitting. It was already horrible lying down, but sitting up....

"Calm down, Hinata. I'm not going to touch you anywhere else. Relax." Atsumu whispers in his right ear, kissing his earlobe. That action freaked the prince out even more. Wasn't this already considered touching somewhere else??? "I just want to talk to you."

".... Emperor. Do we have to talk sitting like this...?" Hinata felt his face and neck warm up from embarrassment, his voice wavering. This was such an awkward position to be in. Couldn't he just pick another omega and bother them instead?

"It's Atsumu. And yes, we have to talk sitting like this." Atsumu kisses Hinata's cheek a second time, making the prince panic inwardly. He kept thinking what kind of sin he did in his past life for him to be tortured like this.

Hinata could feel Atsumu's hot breath on his neck, flustering him. He didn't like how close they were right now; and his flight instincts wanted to take over since he was assaulted by this man before.

How could the emperor even touch him so casually like this when he was refused before? Did he not have any shame?

"Did you have a good morning today? What did you eat?" Atsumu asks, startling Hinata.

'Did this guy really hit his head somewhere?' The prince wondered, glancing at the emperor to check if he had a bump on his head. They lock eyes, making the prince freeze.

"What are you doing?" Atsumu tilts his head, staring straight into the prince's golden orange eyes.

"Uh, nothing! Also, um, I guess I had a good morning? Shimizu made the best meat..." He felt himself salivating again at the thought of meat but quickly erases that thought as he faced away from the emperor, who was about to burn holes through him.

"Hm. That's good, then." He chuckles, hugging the prince's waist tightly. His nose buries itself on the crook of Hinata's neck, breathing in his clean scent.

"You don't smell like anything. Are you taking pheromone suppressants?" Hinata nodded meekly, making the emperor click his tongue.

A long awkward silence takes over the room, fitting through every corner before Atsumu cleared his throat loudly. 

"How are you faring? Have you settled in well here? Do you feel comfortable?" His continuous questions made Hinata squirm. He wanted to get out of this, fast.

It wasn't exactly fun sitting on Atsumu's lap.

"I'm doing well, Emperor..." He replies, looking down at his lap. He wished to god that someone would just barge in here.

"I told you to call me Atsumu." His embrace was warm but awkward, as if he was not used to hugging someone. "Are people treating you well?"

'Aside from you, everyone is nice, tsk.' 

"Ah... Yes, Atsumu-san. The maids and other people are nice." Hinata was a little more relaxed now. He felt like he was being naive, but it really did seem like Atsumu just wanted to speak with him.

Though he still wasn't going to trust him yet.

"I see. Tell me when people treat you poorly. I will be the one to deal with them." Atsumu states, making Hinata turn around and face him. 

"What do you mean deal with them? What are you going to do?" The orange-haired prince asks in concern, making the emperor chuckle. 

"What are you thinking in that head of yours?" He asked, using his index finger to poke the prince's forehead softly. "I'm going to demote their rank if they're a knight and send them back to their country if they're a concubine."

Hinata frowns in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "You're not going to... you know..?"

"Kill them?" Hinata nods slowly, as if he's scared to offend Atsumu. The latter laughs, ruffling the hair of the prince who was very weirded out. "I don't kill people on a whim, Hinata."

"Then, Atsumu-san—"

"My Emperor!!!" They get interrupted by a novice knight, who slammed the door open. He was panting, rivulets of sweat dripping down his hairline. Atsumu growls in annoyance, pissed that his precious time with Hinata was interrupted.

"What is it? This better be important or I will be very vexed." He grumbles under his breath, clinging onto Hinata like a wet glove. This was really awkward.

"My Emperor! There is trouble!!" He yelled out, his tongue tripping over his words as he leaned on the door frame. He was about to start panicking. 

"Breathe, you novice! What is it? Spit it out!" The emperor barked out, startling both the knight and Hinata. His tone was full of authority. 

"The concubine you visited last night was killed!" He manages to spit out, still tripping over his words. 

Hinata's eyes widen.

Someone's been killed?

"What?!" The emperor yells, picking Hinata off his lap to stand up quickly. "Hinata, follow close behind me. You be with me for the whole day while it still isn't safe."

They exit the Hyacinth Palace in a hurry, the novice knight leading the way. Shimizu called Kageyama, who was now following behind Hinata. 

"Hina— Imperial Prince, what happened?" Kageyama asks, his clothes still ruffled as if he was putting it on quickly. He must have been training in only his undershirt and training pants. 

"I-I don't know..." The prince was already frazzled, following behind the emperor who was heading towards the inner palace of Ooku Palace. It was the palace of a merchant-class omega.

"Open the gates!" Atsumu instructed the knights waiting at the door, who quietly obeyed the command and opened the doors. 

What waited inside them was a gruesome sight.

The body of the omega was stripped down, several arrows punctured through him. He was hung on a noose that came out of his bedroom window. His body was severely mutilated, his torso the most lacerated. He was covered in blood, and under him was a pool of blood. 

His eyes were wide open, as if he was killed while awake.

Hinata yelled bloody murder, holding back from barfing as he immediately clings to Kageyama, burying his face on his chest. 

"My Emperor! There's a clue left here!"

♚♚♚

Bonus scene  
Before Atsumu visited Hinata

"Hey, you dumbass Emperor." Advisor Osamu slaps the back of Atsumu's head with a rolled up newspaper, garnering his attention.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Atsumu grumbled out, holding the back of his head. He was working quietly then suddenly his twin decided to hit him.

"You're visiting that shrimpy Prince after this, right?" Osamu asks, leaning on his work table. 

"... Yeah, I am. What is it to you?" The blonde twin sneers at the other twin, raising his eyebrows. 

"It's nothing to me, but I know you assaulted him last week. You should treat him better today." Osamu pushes up his spectacles, crossing his arms. 

"Hah??? I didn't assault him. And what do you mean treat him better??" Osamu shot Atsumu a deadpan stare, looking like he was done with this man's bullshit. 

"Do you not understand what I'm saying, you numb skull? Treat him better. Give him hugs, I guess." The advisor begun to explain to the emperor on what to do, who was staring blankly at his brother.

"Hug...? What the fuck is that? Is it the same as spooning?" He gets whacked a second time on the back of his head by an annoyed Osamu. 

"This is what happens when the emperor has a dick for a brain..." He grumbled under his breath, sneering at his emperor brother. "I guess you can say that spooning is in the same category as hugging. Embrace him, okay? Don't assault him again."

"I won't assault him! What am I, a wild animal?" Osamu shot Atsumu another deadpan look.

"Of course you are. You're a wild dog in heat."

"Osamu, you—"

"Ah, shut up. Since you are done with your work, leave and spend time with that tangerine-looking prince."

"Osamu—"

"Leave."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay I told you I would explain sooo,,,,
> 
> I bought a fullset Kenma cosplay!!
> 
> Yes, on impulse ughh T_T
> 
> I don't regret it though!!!!
> 
> It'll probably arrive 3rd to 4th week of July, so I'm already looking forward to it QwQ
> 
> If you guys want to see my Kenma cosplay and other cosplays, please follow my anitwt.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this update, I'm sorry for taking quite a while to update, I was distracted by anitwt and Saiki K 
> 
> Thank you for reading! It may be short, but I hope you liked it!!!
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	8. Shinishozoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Slight gore and depictions of violence. 
> 
> Anyways HSDJSJDHS notes down below

♚♚♚

The body of the omega was stripped down and naked, several arrows punctured through him. It even punctured the groin area. 

He was hung on a noose that came out of his bedroom window, dangling as it slowly swayed with the wind. It was probably tied to one of the furniture in his chambers. 

His body was severely mutilated, his torso the most lacerated. It even looked like he had some writing etched onto his skin with something sharp. 

He was bathed in thick blood that dripped down from the gashes on his torso to the tips of his toes, rivulets constantly trickling down, forming a large puddle under his feet. 

The omega's eyes were left wide open, as if he was killed while awake and conscious. 

Hinata stopped walking, iced on the spot as he stared at the body. 

'Breathe.' His breath got caught in his throat, a hard lump to swallow. 

Swaying, the lifeless body moved side to side with the direction of the wind. 

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

The blood dripping from the corpse's body onto the pebbled walk way echoed in his ears, as if it was the only thing he could hear. 

Out of nowhere, the concubine's jaw suddenly unhinged, blood pouring out of his mouth.

A small piece falls out, Hinata's eyes following it as it fell in slow motion. 

And then he realizes. 

'....Oh. It's a severed tongue.' 

Hinata yelled bloody murder, horrified by the sight that just unfolded before his eyes. He was holding himself back from barfing as he immediately clings on to Kageyama, burying his face roughly on his chest. 

The palace was in chaos. The knights were yelling, pacing around the body. Some were even nauseous and resting against the trees surrounding the area.

"Shit...!" Atsumu, as if driven by instinct, blocks the view of the hanging corpse from Hinata, using his large body frame to cover the scene. He turns around to face the prince. 

"Hinata—" The emperor comes to a halt when he sees his concubine in the arms of his personal knight, trembling violently like a leaf. 

"Hinata, calm down. Take deep breaths." The knight was caressing his concubine's hair, an action that he didn't approve of. A frown forms on his face as his expression darkened. He was ticked off. 

"My Emperor!" A voice called out loudly, snapping the emperor from his angry trance. "There's a clue left here!" One of the knights yelled out from the side of the concubine's palace, a group of knights surrounding the area to survey what the other knight found.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he took one last glance at his concubine, who was still hugging his knight tightly. 

He couldn't get rid of his annoyance so he turns away and approaches the scene, the knights parting ways like the red sea.

It was a mess. 

The walls were bloodied, like some psychopath decided to splash blood on the walls. 

There was an insignia drawn in blood, most likely drawn with the blood of the omega, that was plastered on the wall. 

"What the fuck?" He blurted out, baffled at the audacity of the unknown assailant. 

It was as if they were mocking the Emperor for being able to kill one of his concubines without getting caught. 

The Emperor growled, his anger rising tenfold. People were really trying his patience today. He only wished to spend a nice quiet morning with Hinata, but I guess Seiryu Empire wouldn't be peaceful until an Empress is crowned. 

"You there." Atsumu points at one knight, who flinches in surprise. "Call Advisor Osamu and tell him I want him to take over this case. I want him to investigate thoroughly."

He grits his teeth and breathes out, trying to calm himself down as he fixed the collar of his nagagi with one hand. 

"And you." He points at another knight. "Take Yuzuru off that noose. Get someone to wipe him down and dress him in shinishozoku and kyokatabira. Prepare his funeral. I will attend tonight." 

The knight immediately complies, rushing towards the hanging corpse of Yuzuru Komaki to gently take it down. Men dressed in white were waiting at the side, carrying a stretcher to lay the body in. 

"Emperor Brother." Advisor Osamu arrives the crime scene, clicking his tongue at the dead body as he held a pressed notepad and quill pen in his hand. "I'll take care of this. Will you spend time with your concubine afterwards?" 

"No, I can't." Atsumu grumbles under his breath. "I have a lot of paperwork to do now that I have to issue letters to Yuzuru's country. Suiryu Empire is very forgiving so I'll take advantage of that." 

"Good to hear directly from your mouth that you will be working instead of playing with omegas today, Atsumu. If you told me you were going to spend time with the tangerine I would have dragged you to your desk." Osamu retorts, jotting down notes on his compact notepad as he surveyed the area. Atsumu scoffed. 

"I told you to call me Emperor when in public. Stop dropping honorifics. Also, if you wanted me to work so badly, why did you not just tell me directly?" Advisor Osamu stops writing in his notepad and rolls his eyes, shooting his twin brother a blank look. 

"I wanted you to use your brain for once. Stop relying on me to do the thinking. I won't be here forever."

"Hah??? You sound like your dying, Osamu." The emperor snorts out, annoying the advisor. 

"Now who's dropping honorifics? Get out of here, you brainless ruler. Go do your paperwork. I suggest you see your concubine out since it isn't good for an omega to see such scenes as this." The advisor shoos away his brother, immediately leaving to approach the bloodied palace walls to investigate for more clues. 

Atsumu scoffs." Tsk. What a drag." He turns back to see Hinata still nestled in the arms of the knight he's always with. 

Slowly, he approached the two in a calm manner. "Hinata." He calls out softly to the trembling omega, gently patting his head with his full-fledged hand. "It's not safe to be here. You should go calm down with your friends."

Hinata nods meekly, still facing Kageyama. 

"What's your name?" Atsumu asks Hinata's knight. 

"Kageyama, Imperial Emperor." Kageyama replies curtly. He didn't like talking to this person, especially since he was the cause of Hinata's panic attack a week ago. 

"Kageyama, I want you to bring Hinata out of here. Bring him anywhere calming, whether its with his friends or the Ooku garden. As long as its far from here." Atsumu fixes his haori, staring at the knight with a scary look. "I'll be going now, Hinata. I have work to do." 

♚♚♚

As soon as the emperor left and was out of sight, Kageyama picks up Hinata and carries him princess-style, gripping onto his arm and thighs tightly so he wouldn't fall. Hinata looked up at his knight, cheeks turning red as he finally stopped shaking. 

"Where do you want to go?" He asks the prince, ignoring the servants gaping at them as the walked through the hallways. 

"I want to go to Kenma's.... Can you let me down now?" He shuffles around in Kageyama's arms, feeling the burning stares of the servants. 

"No." The knight replied stubbornly, shaking his head. "Why should I let you down when you could barely even stand a few moments ago? I'll let you down once we arrive at Prince Kenma's palace, so just sit tight in my arms."

Huffing, Hinata breathes out and cools down his warm cheeks with his hands, which were ice cold. It was probably due to the shock of what he saw.

Hinata flinches as the image popped up in his mind, sending shivers down his spine. He wanted to forget it already. 

"What's wrong?" The prince looks up at his knight, staring at his sharp jaw. 

"Nothing. I'm fine." Kageyama hums in return, walking briskly towards Kenma's palace which was on the right side of the Ooku Palace.

"Ah." Kenma was on his way back from the library, his knight Lev opening his palace gate for him when they saw Kageyama carrying Hinata. "What happened to Shouyo? Shouyo, why are you so pale?" 

"I'm sorry for intruding, Prince Kenma, but it would be best if we go inside first. I'll explain once I let Hinata down." Kenma nods in return, Lev opening the gates for the three of them as they entered the palace. 

It was a palace with similar designs as the rest of the palaces in Ooku, but the front yard was decorated with pebbles and red spider lilies neatly growing in the west wing. The pathway was lined with traditional stone lamps, a koi pond located in the east wing. Kenma's palace was almost as beautiful as Hinata's despite being relatively smaller than the Hyacinth Palace. 

Hinata marveled at the sight, amazed at how warm the place felt. He wanted to decorate his palace like this too.

"Come in." Kenma enters the palace, leaving his zori at the genkan and changing into uwabaki slippers casually.

"O-Ojamashimasu..." Kageyama enters the front door, bowing let down Hinata from his arms. They both took off their shoes and wore the indoor slippers laid out by the entrance. 

"Come here, Shouyo." Hinata quietly follows Kenma, who holds his hand and leads them to the leisure room. He sits on a zabuton, folding his legs under his bottom.

"Shouyo." Kenma pats his thighs, Hinata immediately diving his head onto his best friend's lap as if it was on instinct. 

"Wah! Sorry Kenma, it was out of habit!" He yells in embarrassment, sitting up quickly. The blonde prince only chuckles softly and lays the orange-haired prince's head on his lap again.

"It's fine, Shouyo. Seems like you do this a lot with Kageyama-san." The two blush beet red.

"Huh?! Not me!" Kageyama blurts out in a panic, embarrassing himself further. "Ahem! I meant that he usually goes to Tsukishima-san to calm down, but we can't seem to meet with him at all these days."

"I wonder if he's doing well... I miss Kei-san...." Hinata whines out, rubbing his face on Kenma's legs. 

"Kei-san? He's the son of the known merchant Tsukishima, right?" The orange-haired prince nods quickly. "I saw him once last week. Under the blue jacaranda tree."

"That was the last time I saw him too..." Shouyo pouts, huffing as Kenma started to pat the former's head soothingly.

"Other matters aside, what happened to Shouyo? Why was he scared out of his wits when I saw you two?" Kageyama's face turns grim as he sat down across the two princes, dragging Lev down to sit beside him. 

"About that.." He sighs, massaging his temples. "Hinata and I witnessed a gruesome corpse. Looks like it was there since early morning since the blood was still fresh."

"A corpse? Inside Ooku Palace's walls?!" Lev yelled out in surprise, slamming his hands on top of the table between them. "This place has the highest security!"

"Calm down, Lev. What else did you see? Was it a knight?" Kenma was covering Hinata's ears so he wouldn't go into shock again. 

"That's the problem. It wasn't a knight. It was an omega."

♚♚♚

"Ushiwaka-kun~ Wake up~" Satori Tendou was the first to rise, shaking his partner awake who was fast asleep. 

"Hmm.." Ushijima groaned, his strong arms capturing Tendou in a warm embrace. Without even opening his eyes, he rubs his fingers on the bite mark on Tendou's nape. 

"Hey, I said wake up~" Tendou chuckles, Ushijima's touch tickling him. 

"I have no work today.. Let me sleep in for a while." The alpha grumbles under his breathe, his eyes fluttering open to give his mate a kiss on the forehead. "You look great."

"I look great?" The redhead laughs. "You're only saying that because I'm not wearing any clothes, Waka-kun~"

Ushijima smirks knowingly. "Seems like you already know me pretty well." He flips them over, topping the redhead. "It's morning but—"

The sliding doors of his room suddenly slam open, startling the two lovebirds.

"Eeek....! I'm sorry Sir, but it's an emergency!!" The knight who barged in was covering his eyes, face flushed red. Tendou was grinning teasingly under Ushijima.

"Emergency? What kind of emergency?" Ushiwaka growls out in annoyance, moving off Tendou who pulls the covers over his naked body calmly.

"The Emperor organized an emergency meeting! He told us to gather the Kazoku!"

"Eh~ No work today, you say?~" Tendou wiggles his eyebrows at the pissed off alpha.

"Oh for fucks sake!" The usually calm and quiet Ushijima Wakatoshi curses out loudly. "That damned Emperor!"

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!
> 
> Sorry for not updating for a week,,,
> 
> I was feeling down because of Haikyuu ending but I'm back again to bring an update!!!! 
> 
> Btw, I'm going to start noting down the japanese words I slide in the story here and there :)
> 
> I might edit the other chapters so I can add the Nihongo Words section.
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Nagagi - similar to a kimono. Worn as an inner clothing under a haori. This is secured into place with an obi.
> 
> *Haori - over coat. Worn over a kimono. This does not need to be worn closed like a kimono secured with an obi.
> 
> *Shinishozoku - kimono worn by the dead. "A costume for one going to death."
> 
> *Kyokatabira - kyo means buddhist sutras and katabira means light, unlined cloth. It is a thin, light cloth with buddhist sutras embroidered on it. 
> 
> *Zori - traditional japanese sandals. Similar to a geta, but is made with a straw sole.
> 
> *Genkan - traditional japanese entryway areas for a house/apartment/building, or in this case a palace. It is a combination of a porch and a doormat. The primary function of the genkan is for the removal of outdoor shoes and changing into indoor slippers.
> 
> *Uwabaki - a type of japanese slippers worn indoors at home, school or in buildings.
> 
> *Zabuton - a japanese cushion used for sitting on the floor.
> 
> *Ojamashimasu - a japanese saying when entering a home as a guest. "I will disturb you/I will be disturbing you"
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I feel like my writing style got even worse lolol sorry 🙏🏻 Please bear with my trashy writing style
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! 💓
> 
> Anyways uhh surprise?? I did a kenma cosplay, so I'll just leave the link here,,,,,,
> 
> https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1286301978524389377?s=19
> 
> Thank you for the continuous support! I love you guys!! 
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	9. Trouble in Ooku Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for supporting The Male Empress here on AO3! I'm just starting out here and this is also my first ever Haikyuu fanfiction so it makes my heart swell to see that you actually love reading this :)

♚♚♚

Late morning, around 9 AM. 

The Kazoku were begrudgingly dragged to and gathered in the Imperial meeting room, seated around the long wooden table. 

The room was filled with a depressed atmosphere, some even reeking strongly of the pheromones of their partner. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi was one of them, a deep frown settled on his face as he sat cross-armed. He was only wearing a thin dark blue yukatabira that wasn't fastened properly by his narrow obi belt, even lacking a juban. It was as if he didn't want to bother looking for clothes at all.

"What a drag!! I was looking forward to spending time with my baby since there was supposedly no work today!!!" Shishaku Koganegawa whines out, stomping his foot heavily on the wooden flooring like a child having a tantrum. 

"I agree." Military Strategist Ushijima startles people by voicing his agreement. "I was quite annoyed to learn we had to work on our rest day." 

He leans back in his chair, arms still crossed over his exposed chest as he nodded slowly. He lets out an audible grouse when he notices Kuroo eyeing him with mischief, a large grin on his face.

"Annoyed, eh?" Commander Kuroo raises his eyebrow, chuckling as he shot a smirk at Ushijima. He leaned against the table to scoot closer to the green-haired alpha since he was on the other side of the table. "A little birdie told me you were pretty angry, and that you cursed the Emperor out in front of the knight that fetched you when you got caught about to have sex early in the morning." 

A round of gasps fill the room, Kuroo bursting out laughing at what he just said. Koganegawa follows suit, cackling as Iwaizumi and Matsukawa quickly cleared their throat, stifling back their laughter. It wasn't good to provoke Ushijima unless they wanted karma to bite them back in the ass.

Wakatoshi's face was blank, unfazed by their laughter and teasing.

"It's not early in the morning." He replies quickly, glaring at the commander who was still dying of laughter. "I do not understand why you must embarrass me about my morning sex life when you were also caught in the middle of having sex awhile ago." 

Koganegawa's laughter turns louder, slapping Kuroo's back who was also laughing again. They were like a pair of idiots sharing a singular brain.

"Well, we weren't having sex first thing in the morning since we never stopped since last night~" Kuroo retorts with a chuckle, winking at the strategist, making a certain sleep-deprived doctor slam his hands onto the table, silencing everyone in the room. He acted as the peacemaker when Advisor Osamu was not around. 

"Would you shut up about sex? This meeting is important, so shut it and wait for the Emperor quietly." Imperial Army Doctor Shirabu Kenjiro grumbles out angrily, glaring at the commander who grinned at him and the strategist who stared blankly at him as he sipped his morning coffee. It was an import from the Kokuryu Empire. 

Shirabu's eyes were sunken in and had dark bags under his eyes. He clearly lacked sleep and looked like he was a walking corpse living on work and caffeine. 

"Woah, wait!" The young commander yelps out in surprise, grabbing Shirabu's face and pulling it close until their faces were a breadth away. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"Get off me, you human filth!" The doctor uses his forehead to headbutt the rooster-haired man's chin, setting some distance between them. Grumpily, he fixes his haori-himo, re-tying it. 

"Wow, someone's sensitive." Koganegawa jokes, snickering with Kuroo. Shirabu glares at the dark-haired commander again, sipping coffee from his small cup. 

"I actually work, Commander Kuroo. I don't have sex all day, nor do I only give out orders. I work shifts and even work overtime. This is what working looks like, you carefree idiot." His face is sullen as he slumps on the table, muttering incoherent words. He was definitely burnt out.

"Hey, you're so mean~ I also work too, I'm in charge of training the knights. You know who only gives out orders? The Emperor—" A swift, sudden slap on the back of his head sent Kuroo's head flying forward, almost banging his head on the table.

"What were you saying, Commander? Would you care to repeat that? I would love to hear it again~" Advisor Osamu was holding his rolled up notepad in one hand, most likely the item he used to smack Kuroo with. He had a dangerous eye smile plastered on his face, sending a shiver down the dark-haired commander's spine.

"Oof— Heh, Osamu-kun, what were ya doing behind me?" He receives another smack, on the top of his head this time. 

"Don't call me Osamu-kun. I heard you badmouthing Emperor Brother, so of course I had to approach you to hear more." The advisor gives a tight lipped smile, his hands tightly rolling his notepad. "You better watch your mouth, Kuroo."

"O-Okaaay.." The Kazoku oohed, some snickering at how Kuroo was being relentlessly scolded. He had to learn, anyways.

"Be quiet. The Emperor is coming. Stand up and greet him." They all stand up immediately, the knights standing guard outside announcing the emperor's arrival.

The shoji doors slide open, the emperor stepping in the room. He looked tired, a permanent frown on his face. 

"Rise and bow to the Emperor."

"May glory befall the sun of the empire! Welcome, your Imperial Majesty." All of them bowed deeply, stating their greetings in unison. 

"Sit down. We have an important matter to talk about." Atsumu waves his hand at the Kazoku, signalling them to sit down as he took a seat at the end. His long, dark blonde hair was unruly and disheveled, tied in a low ponytail. "Commander Kuroo, I'm sure your subordinates already informed you. You too, Shirabu-san."

"Yes, Emperor." Kuroo was no longer playful, his face serious as the entire room turned grim. 

"The omega I visited the previous night, Yuzuru Komaki, was found brutally murdered. They were discovered by the Azure knights, who led me to Yuzuru's palace. Outsiders also witnessed the body." Atsumu clasps his hands together on top of the table, leaning against the wood as his expression turned darker. "Advisor Osamu, have you found any clues?"

"So far, only the insignia they left." He sighs, heading towards the door to grab something. He takes a big pile of documents, dropping it in the middle of the meeting table. "But, I checked all the documents of the empire and found this." Osamu takes one file form the top of the document pile, raising it for everyone to see. It was an old file from the 1600's. 

Audible gasps spread throughout the room, some even leaning forward to check if what they were seeing was right.

"No way..." Commander Kuroo had a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide in disbelief. "I thought they completely disappeared back in 1697..."

"They probably didn't disappear. Just went into hiding." Osamu takes several files off the pile. "I checked the files, and their last noted headquarters were in Sohoku. That was back in 1697, as Commander Kuroo said."

Atsumu sighs, massaging his temples. "If they went into hiding, then that must mean someone passed the leadership rights to another person. They're trying to revive what was thought to be lost in time. I won't let that happen." He growls, slamming his hand on the table. "Commander Kuroo."

"I understand, Imperial Emperor. I will scout Sohoku with the aces of Azure knights."

♚♚♚

Hinata Shouyo awakes to a surprise, his head still laying on the lap of his friend, Kozume Kenma. 

It was afternoon now, the rays of the sun shining through the open windows of the leisure room, touching the skin of the two omegas who had a warm glow. 

The room was quiet and peaceful; the only noise was the distant sounds of swords clashing outside and the mechanical clock's ticking. 

Birds were singing a jolly song right outside the window sill, fluttering about outside. 

Kenma's soft hand brushes through Hinata's hair gently, a calming act that calmed the two of them. 

"Do you feel better now, Shouyo?" Kenma asks him in a monotone voice, still patting his head as he looked down at the lethargic prince who was rubbing his eyes. 

"Yeah.. I definitely do..." He yawns out, sitting up from his lying position. He did feel better. He even felt more energetic, his body feeling lighter than this morning. 

"Woah!!" Hinata sprints up, energy bursting through his veins. It was like Kenma was a battery charger. "I'm reaally reaaaaally feeling great! Kenma, you're amazing!!!" 

The Koryu prince gives out a small smile, entertained by how Shouyo was happily circling around the room. "I didn't do much, I just calmed you with my pheromones." 

"Your pheromones are really great!!" Hinata beams at his best friend, who chuckles at how giddy he is. 

"Ah. Speaking of pheromones." Kenma suddenly says, taking a cup that was on the table in front of hin and sipping from it. "Come here, Shouyo." 

The orange-haired prince obediently follow, sitting beside Kenma, who sniffed his nape. "I can't smell your pheromones. Did you take one of the pills I gave you?" 

"Yeah.. The Emperor suddenly visited me this morning and I didn't want him to scent me." He sighs, pouting as he rubbed his bare nape. 

Kenma encircled his arms around Hinata's waist, embracing him as he leaned his chin on his shoulder. "Did that bastard touch you anywhere?" He asks, his monotone voice laced with anger. His friend was precious and he didn't want him getting harrassed by that sadistic emperor. 

"Huh? Oh.. Nah, he didn't touch me anywhere." He replies in a chirpy tone, happy to remember the emperor wasn't being inappropriate today. 

"That's good, Shouyo. Tell me when he acts up again. I have pills which can put him to sleep for good." Kenma snuggles against Hinata's cheek, whose mouth was agape in surprise. 

"Geez, Kenma, don't joke about that kind of stuff..." Hinata chuckles nervously, staring at the blonde prince who had a blank look on his face. 

"Does it look like I'm joking?" He certainly did not, with how his golden brown eyes glinted with complete seriousness. 

"Gah!! Kenma, don't ever think sbout doing that! We'd be executed!!" The Kinryu prince yells out in a panicked tone, making the Koryu prince sigh in disappointment. 

"Fine. If that's what Shouyo wants, then I won't do it." He continues to snuggle against Shouyo's cheek like a cat. 

"Hey!! Don't sound so disappointed!" Hinata exclaims, pouting before he realized what was missing. "Wait.. Where's Kageyama?" 

"Took you a while to notice." Kenma chuckles, releasing his best friend from his embrace. "Lev and Kageyama went out to spar. They got bored watching you snore." 

"I snored?!" A pink blush spread on the young lad's cheeks, embarrassed at what he just heard. 

"It was cute." 

"Hey!!" 

"Ah." The mechanical clock suddenly chimes, a deep rumble resonating from the machinery inside, echoing to create a bell-type of reminder. "Sorry, Shouyo. I can't stay with you the whole day today. I have a medical lecture to attend." 

"A medical lecture? Are you studying, Kenma?" Hinata stands up and fixes the creases in his clothes, curiously staring at his friend who was standing up. 

"I had to give up my medical classes back in Koryu Empire since I had to be sent here, but when I learned I could join lecture's here too, I jumped at the opportunity." Hinata felt confused. For what purpose was Kenma learning medicine?

"You want to become a doctor, Kenma?" He links arms with the blonde prince as they started to walk out the room. 

"To be exact, I want to become a pharmacist. I was actually the one who created those red heat suppressant pills. I made it to cope with unwanted early heat cycles." As Kenma spoke about his dream profession, he had a soft smile on his face as his eyes twinkled in happiness. He seemed to love studying and creating medicine. 

Again, Hinata felt confused and empty. He never felt those kind of feelings, nor did he have a dream. 

"But you're a prince, Kenma.." The orange-haired prince was sincerely utterly confused. He really could not understand why his friend would learn something a prince never had to learn. 

"Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I have no right to choose a path I want for myself." He replies quickly, his free hand patting the top of Hinata's head. "Don't you want to do something other than being a prince, Shouyo?" 

"Me?" Hinata bites his lip. "I never really though about it since Imperial Father said it was irrelevant..." 

"It's not irrelevant, Shouyo. I want you to think of it properly what you really want to do. Don't just follow orders people told you to do." 

Hinata sighs, a concerned frown on his face. "Aren't I too late to be thinking of a dream?" 

Kenma smiles softly at the boy, tucking a lone strand of hair behind Shouyo's ear. "No one is too late to dream, Shouyo. Now come on, I'll accompany you and Kageyama-san with Lev to the Ooku garden before leaving for the lecture." 

♚♚♚

After Kenma and Lev accompanied Hinata and Kageyama to the Ooku Palace garden, the two prince's wave goodbye as they had to part ways. 

"Shouyo. Think about it seriously." He heard Kenma say before they quickly disappeared into the hallways that were bustling due to the ongoing medical lecture. Many people, men and women, were walking through, looking like a white sea since they all wore the same pure white haori. 

"What did he mean by think about it?" Kageyama asks, cracking his knuckles as he headed over to the bench under the jacaranda tree. 

The Ooku Palace garden was a very beautiful garden, designed to awe its visitors. Majestic trees and gentle flowers filled the garden, giving it an ethereal feel. 

Hinata plops down beside Kageyama, leaning his head on the back rest of the bench and closed his eyes. 

Breathing in, he takes Kenma's words into account and starts to think about what he wants to do. 

Did he like doing anything else at all? 

Eating? Exploring? Running? 

These were all shallow thoughts that couldn't become a dream. 

Hinata frowns, eyes still closed as he felt conflicted. Why was it so hard to think of what you wanted to do in life? 

He was sure being an omega wife was something he didn't want to be. 

A blue petal lands on Hinata's face, his eyes fluttering open to pick the petal off his face. 

'Maybe I should think of it tomorrow. My mind is too clouded up to think properly.' He decides to drop it and sighs, rolling his head to the side to lean against Kageyama when a cheerful voice startles him.

"Oh! Hey! It's that chibi-chan prince from the Kinryu Empire!" A young man exclaims, dressed in sheer, light blue clothing. He looked dignified and carried himself well. Was he a prince that didn't introduce himself during their arrival in Seiryu a week ago? 

"My name is not chibi-chan prince!" Hinata sits up properly, pouting childishly at the young man. "My name is Hinata Shouyo!" 

"You look cute being called chibi-chan! I'm Archduke Oikawa Tooru, by the way." He outstretches his hand for Hinata to clasp, which the prince gladly accepts. They shake hands and grin at each other. 

They already felt like long-time friends and they just met! 

"What brings you here to Ooku garden, chibi-chan? Didn't the Emperor gift you the really pretty Hyacinth palace? Not satisfied with the garden there?" Oikawa seets himself beside Hinata, resting his arm on the back rest of the bench. 

"Hyacinth Palace is beautiful but it pales in comparison to the Ooku garden, which is the most beautiful place inside these palace walls." He spoke with such awe it tickled Oikawa's curiosity. "I'm not saying my palace is ugly though!"

They both laugh at his exclamation. 

Out of respect for the two omegas, Kageyama goes to stand beside the bench, catching the eye of the archduke. 

"Oh, who's this?" He was staring directly at Kageyama curiosity piqued. His light brown eyes were focused on the knight, who started to feel uncomfortable. 

"Ah, that's my grumpy guardian knight Kageyama." Hinata chuckles, once again introducing Kageyama as a grumpy person. "Speaking of knight, I don't see yours around. Don't you have one?" 

"My knight?" Oikawa smirks mischievously. "I actually left him and ran away since he was being so annoying~"

"Woah!! You do that too?? Me too!!" They both share a giddy high five as Kageyama rolled his eyes, baffled at how similar these two were despite Oikawa looking relatively older than Hinata. 

He breathes in gently, trying to take in the clean scent of the air when he takes a whiff of a alluring, sweet smell. 

"H-Hey... Is one of you in heat? This smell.." The alluring pheromones get stronger, stinging Kageyama's nose as he jolted away, stepping backwards from the two. 

This was dangerous. He was an alpha, and he didn't have his suppressant pills. He could attack the one in heat if he wasn't careful. 

"... Huh?" Oikawa started trembling, his cheeks flushing red as he clung onto Hinata for support. "M-my heat.. Why did it come early...?" 

His pheromones were getting stronger by the second, and soon, it would drive all the nearby alphas here. That would be troublesome for Oikawa. 

"Shit...!" Kageyama used all of his strength and will power to refuse the temptation of an omega's heat pheromones, his breathing turning wild as his nose flared. "Hinata!! Get him away from me!!!" 

"Hang in there, Oikawa-san! I'll bring you somewhere else." Hinata slings Oikawa's arm around his shoulders, dragging the archduke who was trembling violently. His lower body getting more soaked with each second that passed. 

Oikawa groans in pain, his abdomen in excruciating pain as he struggled to walk as they entered the Ooku library that had no people in it. 

Hinata plops down in the corner of the library, hidden from the sight of anyone. He takes Oikawa in his small arms and snuggles him, trying to calm him down. 

"It's gonna be okay, Oikawa-san. Someone will come to help us." He whispers to the groaning archduke who was clinging tightly onto him. "I'm sorry I didn't bring ny pills today..."

"N-No.. Ahh! It's.. Not your fault... My fault... I went out.. Ugh... Even though I, ah, knew I... Was irregular..." Oikawa struggled to form a sentence, his mouth becoming hotter and salivating more. 

Heat was a deadly thing for omegas. 

"Please... Someone please come..." As if on cue, Hinata's wishes were answered immediately, the door of the library opening. Footsteps approached them. It was a knight, but he looked barely affected by the heat. 

"This must be the omega that the Kokuryu knight reported missing." Hinata heard the knight 'tch', picking up the trembling Oikawa from Hinata with ease. 

"Wait!" Hinata grabs the knight's foot, who raises an eyebrow at him. 

"Ah. You're the Emperor's favorite. Don't worry, I'm a beta, I won't go feral. If you're still worried, my name is Iwaizumi Hajime. I'm the so-called Beta Co Commander." Iwaizumi is attacked by sudden kisses on the neck by Oikawa, who was already very horny. "I'll be taking care of him, so there's no need to worry." 

"O-Okay..." Hinata is speechless at how he explained everything so swiftly, leaving him with no questions. 

"Ah, right." Iwaizumi looks back as he was halfway out the library doors. "You should go check up on your knight. He looks like he's about to go feral."

The knight exits the library, carrying an omega in-heat to his personal chambers. It was too dangerous carrying out in the open, so the best thing to do was to coop him up in his room.

Hinata, who was left speechless on the floor of the library, suddenly springs up, eyes wide open. 

Kageyama got affected by the heat. 

He may have gone into rut. 

He may have gone feral. 

"Kageyama!!!" 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!
> 
> This chapter is actually pretty long!! I usually only write 2k words per chapter (yep pretty short lolol) but this one is 3.5k qwq
> 
> I hope it was interesting for you guys to read, especially since Hinata has been meeting new characters~~
> 
> Fun fact: When unmarked and unmated omegas are stressed and have no alpha to rely onto, they usually look for comfort from other omegas that they feel comfortable with.
> 
> This is seen with Hinata and Tsukki, and Hinata and Kenma, where whenever Hinata feels down, stressed or panicked, he is calmed by the presence of Tsukki or Kenma.
> 
> This is because of the maternal instincts of an omega to calm down distressed people, and also because it is in omega nature to release relaxing and calming pheromones when one of their kin is stressed. 
> 
> Ah yes!!! Nihongo section~
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Haori-himo - these are short, woven cords that can be attached to the little loops you'll find on either inside seam of a haori collar. This basically just ties the haori together so it won't slide off or the flaps on the haori wouldn't move everywhere.
> 
> *Kazoku - "Magnificent lineage". In this story, the Kazoku are a group of Emperor Atsumu's subordinates who have high positions in the Empire, equal to a high ranking noble. 
> 
> *Yukatabira - direct translation "bath underclothes". As one may probably guess, this is the most informal kind of kimono, being used after the bath (commonly at onsen hot spring resorts), as well as for sleeping, relaxing at home or for attending at summer festivals. In this case, it's used for sleeping and relaxing at home. 
> 
> *Juban - underkimono. Its the thin white cloth kimono made out of cotton often seen under a patterned kimono. 
> 
> *Obi - broad sash worn around the waist to secure a kimono or yukata. They vary in sizes. 
> 
> *Shoji - a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame.
> 
> That's it!! I hope you enjoyed this long chapter and didn't get bored QwQ
> 
> I'm sorry if my writing kinda sucks here I'm writing this at 4 in the morning
> 
> Thank you for reading and supporting The Male Empress!!!
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	10. An Impossibly Fated Pair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: R-18 Content Below.
> 
> Yes, it's smut.
> 
> Btw, thank you for the 1k hits!! 💓

♚♚♚

"Kageyama!!!" Hinata rushes out of the library, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he prayed to the Dragon God that Kageyama was still holding onto his reason. That he was rejecting his rut. 

There he was. 

Kageyama was slumped against a pillar, huffing loudly with one leg folded against his body, his arm circled around his leg. His teeth were biting down on his wrist that was bleeding profusely. 

All of a sudden, Hinata stops in his tracks, his instincts making him feel a bit fearful of his knight. 

His expression was dark, a mix of pain and agony swirling in his eyes as sweat dripped down from his forehead. His teeth were still latched onto his wrist even as Hinata approached. 

The knight was oozing with heavy pheromones that would force an omega to go into heat. 

It was a good thing Hinata took those strong-acting pills Kenma gave him. He wasn't even the least bit affected by the pheromones that were leaking from his knight. 

The prince approaches him slowly, hearing low growls emanating from the alpha in front of him. He was struggling to keep his mind intact, using the pain from the bite to keep him sane. 

Blood dripped onto the pavement, forming a small pool by his feet. 

"Kageyama..." The prince places his hands on the knight's shoulders, making the latter jolt in surprise. "You'll be fine.... We should get back to the palace now.." 

"Don't touch me!" Kageyama spat out, pushing the prince away from him. He felt uncomfortable; he needed to breed. 

Kageyama didn't want Hinata near him. Even if Hinata took his pills, Kageyama would still attack him if provoked further. 

"It's fine! It's fine! Calm down, you idiot!" Stubborn as always, the prince reassures his knight and approaches him once again, taking hold of both his hands to attempt to pull him up. 

Kageyama felt heavy. His vision was blurry and swirled, his breath felt burning hot and his throat felt parched. He felt his reason slowly travel down the drain like water being poured down the sink. 

"I said... Don't.... Touch me...!" He growls out, pulling down Hinata towards him, who stumbled into his arms. 

"Hey.. HEY!! Calm down!!!" The prince was starting to panic as the knight put an arm around his body, his face digging itself in the crook of Hinata's neck. 

"Hinata..." Kageyama groused out, groaning in pain. His gums were itching to mark the person he was holding right now, and it took every ounce of his strength to refuse that instinct. "Please... Get away..." 

"I can't, you know?! You're squeezing me!" Hinata yells out in annoyance, struggling in Kageyama's arms which unconsciously tighten itself around his body. It was getting harder to breathe. 

How come no one was around at all? This Palace was full of bullshit, no knights were around. 

'Tightest security my ass.' The prince thought to himself as he kept wiggling around in the knight's grasp. His clothes were coming undone due to the continuous struggling, exposing his smooth creamy neck and shoulders. 

Kageyama's eyes widen. 

'Shouyo's skin.'

His breaths catches in his throat, an image string snapping flashed inside his head as he bit down on Hinata's shoulder, unable to hold back any longer. His canines puncture through the prince's skin, drawing blood from the wound. 

"Argh!! That hurts, Bakageyama!!" Hinata yells out in pain and smacks the back of his head against Kageyama's forehead, the pain of the hit snapping Kageyama back to reality. 

"Hinata..?" He feels disoriented, head still spinning as his eyesight started to clear up. 

And then he sees. 

He bit Hinata.

He hurt Hinata. 

"I... Bit you..?" He drawls out, shocked at what he had done. He knew he wasn't in the right mind but to bite him... 

"You're back, Bakageyama?" The orange-haired prince's voice was nonchalant, as if nothing happened. "Come on. Let go of me so we can patch up back at the Hyacinth Palace." 

Kageyama hugs Hinata tighter, digging his nose onto the crook of his neck. "I hurt you, Hinata. I'm so ashamed. I'm supposed to protect you, but—" 

"Calm down, Bakageyama. It's fine." The orange-haired prince reaches out to pat his dark-haired knight's hair, gently combing his fingers through his silky locks. "It's okay."

The knight felt a pang of guilt wash over him like a wave, softly gliding his fingers on the bite mark he left on Shouyo's shoulder. "But... I bit you. You should be mad at me. An alpha servant bit their omega master... I should be killed." 

"Enough of this. I'm fine. It's only a bit painful, Kageyama." The prince chuckles, patting the head of the knight again. "It's just a bite." 

Kageyama shows a forced, tight-lipped smile to reassure his master. "Yeah. It's just a bite."

♚♚♚

Once Kageyama calmed down, they headed back to Hyacinth Palace, both boys quiet as they walked through the palace halls. 

Kageyama still felt very guilty, ashamed to even remember what he did. He thought of himself as a failure of a knight, that he didn't deserve the kind treatment Hinata was giving him. 

He was supposed to guard and protect him, not hurt him. 

Scolding himself internally, he glances at the prince as he opened the gate of the palace for him, staring at his exposed shoulder that had a bite mark on it, the skin red with irritation. 

"Hinata." He grabs the prince's hand, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Will you allow me to dress your wound?" 

Hinata gives out a big grin, beaming at the knight. "Of course you can! I'll be the one to dress yours, though."

"No way." Kageyama smirked, finally back to his old self. He buried his shame and guilt deep in his heart and vowed to himself to never hurt Shouyo again. "You suck at putting gauze on." 

"What? No I don't!" Hinata slaps the knight's back and seats himself on the edge of the engawa, rolling up his kimono skirt and swinging his legs as Kageyama fetched the gauze rolls from the kusuri-bako. 

He returns quickly, holding two gauze rolls in his hands as he sat down beside Hinata. He handed one over to the latter, who was already unravelling the gauze. 

"Hey! I'm supposed to patch you up first, you're the Prince here!" Hinata rolls his eyes and grabs Kageyama's wrist, proceeding to wrap it around the bleeding wound. 

"Who cares? You're literally bleeding!" Hinata huffs out, pouting in annoyance as he focused on dressing the knight's wound. 

"It doesn't hur— Ow!" 

"Really? Doesn't hurt?" The prince smirks at the knight, who glares at him. 

"Stupid prince, you pressed down on my wound on purpose!" He flinches as Hinata pressed down again. 

"No, I didn't~" The tangerine replies in a sing-song voice, enjoying annoying his knight. "There we go! All done!" 

Kageyama stares at his wrist, which looked like it was wrapped by a toddler. "This looks like shit." He told the prince with a straight face. 

"Hey! You meanie! I actually tried my best!" Hinata grumbles at his knight, crossing his arms at his chest. He sincerely did try his best. 

"Well this best looks like shit." He retorts, making the prince gasp. 

"You—" Kageyama put a finger on Hinata's lips, shushing him. 

"Ah. Shh. Stop being noisy so I can dress your wounds now." The prince had no other choice but to shut up, childishly glaring at the knight who wasn't paying attention to him. 

He used a cotton pad drenched in alcohol to clean the bite, the wound stinging as the alcohol seeped through. 

"Sorry. Does it hurt?" He asks, gently wiping the wound with the cotton. 

"Of course it does. You just put alcohol on it." Hinata hissed in pain, enduring the burning sting as Kageyama started to wrap gauze around the circumference of his shoulder, tightly tying it off to prevent it from shifting as he moved. 

"There. You're all patched. Now fix your clothes." Kageyama walks back in the side entrance of the palace, placing the gauze back in the kusuri-bako. 

"Whatever, Kageyama!" He yells out, fixing his kimono and juban that were loose. He secures it tightly and re-tightens his obi, patting away at the dust on the sleeves of his clothes. 

He leans back to observe the scenery, golden orange eyes sweeping through the whole courtyard. 

It was a wide courtyard, maintained properly by his maids that were inside the palace cooking the meals for lunch. The Hyacinth Palace was a blue hue, jacaranda trees lining the protective walls of the palace. A large koi pond was on the east side, two ducks floating atop the water with their ducklings following behind them. 

The sky was clear again, the sun bright up in the sky, its rays bouncing off the petals of the chrysanthemums and carnations that he and Shimizu-san planted a week before, glowing like gold. 

He breathes out in content, happily enjoying the peacefulness of his surroundings before he's startled out of his skin by loud pounding on the gate of the palace. 

"Hello? Let me in please!! I need to hide quickly!!" The banging on the gate got louder, Kageyama peeking his head out from between the shoji doors. 

"What's up with that?" He asks with a frown, staring at the gate that was rattling. 

"Please, good sirs! Please let me in for a while!" The voice begged from behind the gate, desperate banging making the gate clatter. 

"Hey Kageyama! Open the gate!!" Hinata yells out, making the knight come out of the palace. 

"Whatever! You don't need to yell, I'm not deaf!" He trudges towards the gate, unlocking it to let the mystery person in. 

Said person bursts through the gates, several beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as he rested his palms on his knees, gasping for air. He looked like he was running from something. 

"Hey, you. Come over here." Hinata calls the stranger over, who happily walks over to him. As soon as he's in front of Hinata he grins and grasps his hands, shaking it furiously. 

"Thanks for letting me in, young master! My name is Yukitaka Izumi! Call me Izumi!" The light brown-haired young man introduced himself, grinning widely at the prince. 

"Nice to meet you, Izumi-san! Why where you banging outside the door?? Was there a monster outside?" Yukitaka laughs, letting go of Hinata's hands and seating himself on the engawa beside the prince. 

"Ah, about that~" Yukitaka leans back on his arms. "I'm actually a lower class merchant who sneaked in from outside. The lower class omegas aren't allowed in Ooku Palace since it's only for the high-rank." 

"You sneaked in? Woah! Gutsy!" The two share laughs as Kageyama sighed, rolling his eyes at how similarly hard-headed these two were. They definitely were going to be good friends. 

"What brings you in here, though?" Hinata tilts his head in curiosity, staring at his newly met friend. 

Yukitaka puckered his lips, swinging his legs. "There's a rumor that there's a tall and beautiful fairy that appears in the Ooku garden under the blue jacaranda tree. I wanted to see it for myself!" 

Hinata and Kageyama's eyes meet before bursting out laughing, almost rolling on the floor before they caught their breathe. 

"What's so funny?" Yukitaka asks, confused. 

"Isn't that just Kei-san?" The prince wipes away at a tear, holding his stomach. His knight was cackling in the background. 

"You've seen the fairy in Ooku Garden?" Hinata chuckles at what Yukitaka said, breathing out. 

"Kei-san is indeed like a fairy, though. But, he's not one. He's my tutor." The prince grins at the merchant, whose mouth becomes agape in awe and surprise. 

"Really?!" The brown-haired young man's eyes sparkled. 

"Yeah, really!" 

Before they could gush further about Tsukishima, Shimizu approaches Hinata and kneels beside him. 

Yukitaka is taken over by awe, gaping at the beautiful maid. 

"Imperial Prince, I apologize for the delay. We have to simmer the meat for a while longer before we can serve it so the meat will be soft." She bows at the prince, who salivates at the thought of meat. 

"It's okay, Shimizu-san! Can you prepare another set of chopsticks? My friend is eating over." Shimizu looks over at Yukitaka curiously, before giving out a gentle eye smile. 

"I understand, Prince." She bows again before soundlessly leaving, heading back to the kitchen. 

"... Woah.." The merchant breathes out, still starstruck. "Is she a goddess...?" 

Hinata chuckles. "Maybe!" He swings his legs, staring at the cloudy sky. 

"Do you want to play a game while waiting?" The merchant asks, which piqued the prince's interest. 

"Sure! What kind of game?" He asks, tilting his head. 

"Do you guys have a leather ball filled with air?" Hinata frowned, thinking seriously about the question. 

"Hm.. Do we?" He asks himself. "Kageyama! Do we have a leather ball filled with air?!" He yells out at the knight, who was training near the edge of the courtyard. 

"Yeah!" 

"Okay! Go fetch it!!" He sees the knight glare at him, dropping his sword and heading over to the shed at the back before quickly going over to Hinata and Yukitaka. He drops a white leather ball in Hinata's arms. 

"I'm a knight, not a servant. Stop asking me to do stuff." Kageyama grouses out. 

"But you still got it for me~" He pulls down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at the knight, teasing him. 

"Tch. Annoying." The knight clicks his tongue and goes back to his corner to train. 

"What are we gonna do with this?" Hinata raises the ball, staring at it. 

"We'll play ball toss!" Yukitaka leans down to tie up his kimono skirt. "Come on, tie up your kimono!" 

"Fine! Fine! Let's play!!" 

♚♚♚  
WARNING: R-18 CONTENT

Night falls over the orange sky, the colors of the sunset being taken over by the colors of the night. 

It covers the sky like a cool blanket, the heavens mixing into a dark blue hue. 

Stars twinkle in the sky, the moon large and bright, illuminating the palace with an ethereal light. 

Tsukishima Kei was wearing a soft, satin yogi that was loosely worn, his chest area exposed. He was too lazy to fix it, his partner was going to arrive sooner or later to take it off, anyways. 

He stood up from the bed, going towards the small balcony to bask in the moonlight and cool night breeze. 

He hears the sliding door behind open, clicking as it was closed afterwards. 

"Kei. I'm back." Commander Kuroo Tetsurou approaches the tall omega, backhugging him and smooching his cheek. 

"Welcome back, Kuroo-san." He replies curtly, turning around to untie the haori-himo of his alpha. He kisses Kuroo's cheek back out of affection before sliding off his haori.

Tsukishima's hands slide over Kuroo's clothed chest, staring. 

"Aren't you being very needy today, Kei?" Kuroo chuckles, embracing Tsukishima in a warm hug. 

"Kuroo-san." He looks up at the commander. "My heat is coming. I feel very warm."

"Kei..." The commander grits his teeth, trying to hold back. 

"Please hold me, Kuroo-san." He grips the clothes of the commander, who growls and picks him up, laying him on the bed. 

"Kuroo-san..." The usual quiet and aloof Kei was being very clingy, leaning towards Kuroo to leave open-mouthed kisses on his neck. "Please hold me right now."

"Kei.. Shit..!" He removes the omega's thin obi, the yogi exposing his pale, naked skin that glowed under the moonlight. He looked like a fairy.

Kuroo kisses down Tsukishima's neck to his chest, leaving wet hickeys trailing down. Kuroo's mouth on his body was the best view, Tsukishima thought.

The alpha pinches the omega's nipples that were already perky, arousing a soft moan from him. 

"Kuroo-san.. I want..." He moans again when the commander glides his tongue down the omega's torso, placing love bites all over his stomach.

"Be patient, Kei." Kuroo presses his nose onto Kei's abdomen, breathing in his scent religiously. "Your heat is really near... You smell really good, Kei."

The latter hums in ecstasy, his toes curling up when Kuroo sticks two fingers in his hole, erotic squishing being heard as he wiggled his fingers inside to find the sweet spot. 

"Look at you, Kei." Kuroo smirks at the omega, using his other hand to lift his bottom. "Your warm insides are still loose and shaped like me."

"Haah..! It's because we did it... hngh... till dawn... yesterday.." Tsukishima moans out, his mind fogging up as his ass started to lubricate quickly. Each touch was sending jolting electric arousal down his spine, his head melting into a puddle. He wanted Kuroo, quickly. "Kuroo-san.. Quickly... Put it in.." 

He felt dizzy with ecstasy, moaning with each touch as the commander's fingers startened to quicken its pace, squelching inside the dripping wet bottom of Kei.

"Kei." Kuroo leaves open-mouthed kisses on the side of Kei's neck, nuzzling him with his nose. "Open your mouth and stick out your tongue, Kei."

Tsukishima obediently obliges, sticking out his tongue that Kuroo started sucking on, the two sharing an intense, wet and warm kiss as his fingers pressed at the omega's prostate. 

"Hic...!" The omega suddenly arches his back, nails digging on the commander's back as he pulled his fingers out with a plop.

"Kei." He chuckles, staring sensually at the omega as he sucked on his pruning fingers. "You're dripping wet already, and I haven't even put it in yet."

Tsukishima whimpers, his legs circling around Kuroo's waist. "It's because it's Kuroo-san touching me, that's why I'm this wet..."

Kuroo groans, undressing himself as he held his hard shaft, positioning it at Kei's twitching hole. "Kei, I'm putting it in now."

Both moan in euphoria when Kuroo pushes it all in slowly, his dick feeling like it was getting sucked in by Kei. 

Kei was getting desperate, his hips shaking as Kuroo slowly fucked him, skin slapping against skin. His strong arms were gripping Tsukishima's thighs, spreading them wide to hit the deepest parts of his insides. 

Tsukishima felt like going crazy, each time Kuroo pounded in and out making his ass clench down. The bedroom was filled with loud and noisy moans bouncing off the walls, the bed frame knocking on the wall so loudly it could break through the wood. 

Their hips don't stop moving, Kuroo going on top of Kei to pound even deeper, the omega whining wildly as his nails drag down the alpha's bare, muscled back. 

"Ku...Kuroo-san! I'm.. I'm coming..!" The blonde-haired omega's body starts to tremble, the alpha grunting as his pace quickened even more, the tip of his shaft poking at the entrance of Kei's uterus. 

"I'm coming too, Kei..!" The alpha groans out, skin slapping against skin as Kei yelled in euphoria, toes curling as he came all over himself, Kuroo following suit and releasing inside with a huff. 

Sweat glistened on their bodies, both sticky as the caught their breath. 

"Kei." Kuroo sticks his tongue in his partner's mouth, kissing and sucking before smooching his forehead. "You look so wrecked from just one round."

"Wha..?" Tsukishima blinked several times, feeling lethargic. "What are you..?"

The commander grins, pulling his still hard cock out of the omega's hole. "Turn around, Kei. This time, I'll hit it from the back."

Tsukishima sighs, removing his fogged up glasses. "Fine. But promise me that after this round, we rest."

"I promise."

♚♚♚

The promise was, of course, not kept as Kuroo had 3 more rounds afterwards, reaching the crack of dawn again before they finished.

Tsukishima was utterly wrecked, his bottom half feeling numb as he lay on his side in Kuroo's arms.

He looks at his alpha, gliding his long fingers over his cheek. "Kuroo-san, why do you hold me when you have your own omega?"

Kuroo glances down at Tsukki who was tucked in his arms snugly, chuckling. "What's wrong, Kei? Are you jealous?"

The blonde shoots a blank look at the commander. "I am being serious here, Kuroo-san."

"The omega given to me was just given out of obligation. Plus, he doesn't like me." Kei stares at him. 

"So if he liked you, you wouldn't be here?" Kuroo chuckles, ruffling his blonde hair.

"You know, you're cute when you're jealous." The alpha happily embraces the omega, sighing in content. "Ahh, my adorable and precious little Kei. I like being with you. Maybe its fate?"

Tsukishima scoffs. "Fate? That's just a myth from the 1500's. You actually believe that?"

"Hey~" Kuroo pouts childishly, nuzzling his face by Tsukki's neck. "It's true! I was instantly bewitched by you when I first saw you. You too, right?~ You liked me when we first met, right?~"

"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever say I liked you as soon as we met?" He pushes the commander's smitten face away from him, clicking his tongue. 

"You never said it, but I could feel it~" Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows. "You know, since we had sex right after we met~"

Tsukishima turns red in embarrassment. He forgot that actually happened.

"Ugh... Shut up, you rooster head." He pushed at the alpha's body, but he didn't budge.

"I'm not letting you go, Kei~ You're my fated pair, Kei~" He sang out, drowning the omega with kisses. 

"Ugh..! Stop! So annoying!" He grumbled out, his face being attacked by kisses.

"Come on~ Say you're my fated pair, Kei~"

"Fine! You're my fated pair, Kuroo-san. Are you happy now?" He's suddenly squished against Kuroo's strong chest, being embraced once again. 

"I'm never letting you go, Keiiiiii~!!"

"Fuck off!"

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey!!! 
> 
> Cheers to a new update!! Yaaay~ 🥂
> 
> Anyway, I drew another Kagehina scene HSDJSJSJS
> 
> I FEEL LIKE I'M BEING BIASED BY DRAWING KAGEHINA ONLY DKDKSKDKDD
> 
> I might draw an atsuhina scene next tho,,, 😗✌️
> 
> Well, nihongo words first!! 
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Engawa - an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring, usually wood or bamboo. Similar to a veranda. 
> 
> *Kusuri-bako - directly translated as "medicine box". 
> 
> *Yogi - sleeping kimono, usually tailored out of cotton. 
> 
> And here's the drawing!!
> 
> Just copy this link, it leads to my Twitter post of my drawing lol
> 
> https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1288013453798514688?s=19
> 
> Thank you for reading The Male Empress!
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	11. Apologies and the Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I couldn't update yesterday 😔 I had cramps around the first half of the day the I procrastinated on the other half lol
> 
> This update is another long chapter, by the way :)

♚♚♚

Hinata awakens to the daily morning song of the birds perched outside his window, the warm rays of the sun leaking through the glass and shining on his face. Yesterday was a fun but tiring day, since he spent the whole afternoon playing toss ball and even a game called "Kuuki Tama" with his newfound friend, Yukitaka Izumi. 

Yukitaka said he made up the game with his friends back in Suiryu, where you divide a court in two and the ball has to stay up in the air. 

It was a fun game, but running around trying to prevent the ball from touching the ground was hard work, and it left both of them drenched in sweat, their hair matted down to their foreheads.

Hinata rubs his eyes, sitting up on his bed and looks around, finding Shimizu at the window, tying the noren with a thick string. 

Softly humming, she turns around to find her master awake and up, stretching his arms out and yawning. 

"Good morning, Imperial Prince." She smiled at the still sleepy prince, whose hair was sticking out in all directions. "I've prepared a warm lavender-bergamot bath for you. Shall I help you with your bath?"

"Hmm?" He blinked at her several times, eyelashes fluttering against his soft skin. "Oh.. I'm fine bathing alone, Shimizu-san. Can you brush my hair out later instead?"

She chuckles, eyes forming a crescent as she smiled softly at him. "Of course, Prince. I shall help you with your kanzashi afterwards."

The prince grins at the head maid, slipping his legs off his bed and wearing the uwubaki placed by the foot of his bed. He stands up and stretches another time as he exited the room. In the hallway outside, a row of maids bowing at him. 

"Good morning, Imperial Prince." They stated in unison, heads still bowed.

"Good morning!!" Cheerfully, he bows back at the maids, making them smile. Their master was such a sweetheart, and he was bright like the sun. "Please work hard again today! Thank you for yesterday's food~"

"Of course, my Prince." One of the maids quips. "I am grateful that you enjoyed the meal."

"It was great! Meat is always great!!" He yells out, already full of energy despite waking up early in the morning. The hallway fills with soft giggles, fawning at Hinata's cuteness. 

Hinata enters the bath room at the end of the hallway, finding the bath tub filled with steamy hot water. Lavender petals, bergamot leaves and bergamot rind were floating in the water, the aroma smelling mild and citrusy. 

Stripping bare, his night clothes drop to the floor, the prince stepping in the bath tub. He submerges in the warm water that was hugging his body, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth automatically. 

"This smells so good..." He breathes in deeply before submerging his whole body in the water, rubbing his hair under the water. After a while, he emerges from under, wiping away at the rivulets of water with his hands. 

He takes time bathing, finishing after thirty minutes, where he wipes his body down with a thick cotton towel. He picks up the change of clothes Shimizu left on the side table, changing into it. 

The clothes were a beautiful shade of yellow, light and airy, resembling the rays of the sun. His nagagi was a reddish-pink color, adorned with golden brocades of a dragon. The hakama was a shade of orange that complimented the red color of his top. 

He slips on a pair of tabi socks, wearing his uwubaki before he walks back to his room while drying his hair with the cotton towel. 

"Imperial Prince." Shimizu greets Hinata as soon as he entered the room, bowing. "Please sit here. I will dry your hair for you."

Hinata happily obliges, plopping in the seat in front of the dresser. Shimizu takes the towel and starts to dry his hair, softly massaging his scalp. 

Once it was dry, using a soft-bristled hairbrush, Shimizu begins to untangle Hinata's hair. With gentle hands just like a mother's, it softly skimmed against his orange locks. Her hands were tending to his hair with care, leaving him feeling calm and peaceful.

"Shimizu-san, you feel like a mother." With closed eyes, the prince leans into the maid's touch, who chuckles softly. 

"Prince, you say I feel like a mother?" She had a warm smile on her face, as if she was proud that he told that to her. "I am actually a mother of one beautiful baby girl." 

"What??" Hinata's eyes shot open in surprise. "Shimizu-san, you're married?!" 

Her smile was still gentle as she proceeded to add the kanzashi into his hair. "I am not yet married officially. I told my husband that once he rises in ranks and becomes a colonel, we would wed." 

"Wow.. I didn't expect Shimizu-san to be married..." The prince mumbles under his breath, still shocked at the information he just learned. 

'Yukitaka would be so disappointed.' He snickers at his thoughts, staring at himself in the mirror as his maid fixed his kanzashi. 

"Imperial Prince. The Emperor told me to relay that he will be visiting you at around 8 o'clock." She suddenly says, startling him. His stomach drops in dread, feeling anxiety creep in from behind. 

This was the second time he was visiting in the morning. What were they gonna do now? 

"H-He's coming?" Hinata stutters out, eyes wide. "What time is it, Shimizu-san?" 

Shimizu took a brief look at the mechanical clock at the other side of the room. "It's 7:50 AM." 

Panic settles at the bottom of his stomach as he forced himself to calm down, counting numbers in his mind to soothe his nerves. 

'It's morning. We'll probably be having tea and talking.' He breathed in and out. 'Don't think of it too much, Shouyo.' 

Soft knocks rapped at the wooden frame of the shoji door, breaking the silence in the room. 

".. Come in." Hinata says. 

"Imperial Prince, Miss Shimizu." A maid opened the door and bowed at the two. "The Emperor is arriving."

"I see. Thank you for informing us." Shimizu bows back at the maid, who nods and closes the door. "Prince, I have to go greet the Emperor at the gate. I'll have someone prepare genmaicha tea for the two of you." 

"Okay..." Hinata felt nervous and uncomfortable as Shimizu left the room. 

He felt himself settling into panic again, feeling like the walls were closing in on him. It was claustrophobic, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. 

'It's okay, Shouyo. The Emperor won't do anything.' He buries his head in between his knees, trying to use his own body heat to calm himself down. 'You'll be fine, Shouyo. You're strong.' 

He felt himself slowly calm down, his heart rate going back to normal as he finally started breathing properly. 

In the midst of calming himself down, he sincerely wished he was with Tsukishima Kei, who could calm him down immediately. 

"Imperial Prince." Knocking startled him once again. "The Emperor is entering."

Immediately, Hinata stands up, Atsumu entering his chambers as Hinata bowed at him. 

"Greetings, Emperor." He says with his head bowed, biting his lip to prevent himself from panicking. 

"You're really stubborn, aren't you?" Atsumu chuckles. "I told you to call me Atsumu." 

"Atsumu-san." He flinches when Atsumu reaches out towards him, making him halt. 

His face looked extremely guilty. 

"Can I hold you, Hinata?" He asks, guilt flickering in his eyes. Slowly, Hinata nodded and approached the emperor like a cow walking towards a slaughter house. 

The emperor gently hugs the prince close, his chin resting on top of the prince's head. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sorry for what I did last week. I made a horrible mistake forcing myself on you and touching you without consent." 

"A-Atsumu-san.." His embrace tightened, Atsumu gritting his teeth in regret. "I sincerely apologize. It was stupid of me to disregard your opinion and do those things to you... I sincerely regret my actions." 

"Atsumu-san, it's okay.." Hinata escaped from Atsumu's grasp, trying to stop the emperor from apologizing. 

It was sudden and surprising; a tyrannical emperor was apologizing to him because he assaulted him. 

Was he actually sincerely apologizing? 

"No, it is not okay." Atsumu suddenly bows deeply, making Hinata panic. "What I did was wrong. You can't forgive me just yet."

It felt awkward. Atsumu was probably not used to apologizing, but it did sound sincere. 

Hinata gently places his arms around Atsumu, awkwardly patting his back. "It's fine, Atsumu-san."

The emperor sighs and embraces him back, breathing in deeply before halting. 

"Sorry to make this more awkward, but I can smell your pheromones today. Are you taking your pills?" Hinata suddenly frowns and looks up at Atsumu in confusion. 

"Huh??" He blurts out. "What do you mean? I took my pills.. Are you sure it's my scent you're smelling and not my hair?" 

"Ah, I guess I was mistaken. It smells like fragrant flowers." He shrugs, releasing the prince from the embrace. "I'm sorry for hugging you too long. Are you okay?" 

"...? Yes?" Hinata answers in a confused tone, chuckling softly. Atsumu was apologizing a lot, which was funny. 

"What's so amusing to you?" Atsumu had a lopsided grin plastered on his lips, happy to see Hinata smiling. 

"It's just funny how much you're apologizing– Shoot, I slipped!" Hinata cusses himself out and slaps his mouth, Atsumu chuckling at his actions. 

"It's fine, it's fine. You can voice out what you think around me." He pats the top of the prince's head. "Though I didn't expect you to find my constant apologies amusing."

The prince flushes beet red, embarrassed. "U-Uhm! Would you like some tea?" He tries to distract the emperor from the current subject. 

"Alright. Let's sit down, too." Atsumu seats himself at the tea table, crossing his legs while Hinata told Shimizu to fetch the tea.

"How are you feeling today? Are you coping well from yesterday's events?" Atsumu asks Hinata once the genmaicha tea was poured. He sips from the porcelain cup, holding it with one hand. 

"I'm fine if I don't think about it. It didn't traumatize me that much, which is good, I guess.." Hinata blows on the piping hot tea before sipping from it. 

"Are you sure you're okay? I heard you headed over to Prince Kozume's palace as soon as you left." The emperor's voice was laced with genuine concern. 

"I needed him to calm me down." He replied, swirling his tea. "Where did you even hear that? I doubt Kenma would tell you that hinself." 

The emperor snickers. "I heard it from the maids." 

Hinata suddenly bursts into soft laughter, his eyes forming crescents as his face brightened up. "I'm sorry, that's actually really funny. You heard it from the maids? Are you becoming a gossiper now?" 

Atsumu scoffs playfully, flicking the prince's forehead. "Why are you calling me a gossiper? I only overhead it from the maids, silly." 

Hinata nods mockingly, as if he didn't believe what Atsumu was saying. 

"Did you do anything fun yesterday?" Atsumu asks, changing the subject. 

"Actually, I met someone new. He taught me how to play a game called kuuki tama." He replies, a grin forming on his face as he talked about his activities yesterday. "It was really fun and tiring. I almost forgot to eat because of how tired I was." 

"Kuuki tama? What kind of game is that??" Atsumu had a funny look on his face as he stared at Hinata. 

"It's a game Yukitaka made up. The ball shouldn't fall to the floor."

"Yukitaka? You mean Yukitaka Izumi?" The prince was surprised that the emperor knew his friend. 

"Yep! How come you know him?" He tilts his head in confusion. 

"I met a concubine that looks like you yesterday, and he told me he had a half-brother named Yukitaka." The emperor smiles at him, patting his head. 

"What do you mean looks like me??" Hinata asks. 

"He—" Atsumu's words were cut off when someone knocked on the door. 

"Emperor, it's Advisor Osamu. You have additional work to deal with, so you need to leave now." Atsumu clicks his tongue in annoyance, miffed that their quality time together was interrupted. 

"Hinata, can I touch you?" He asks permission from the prince, who nods. The emperor stands up from his seat and walks over to Hinata, kissing his forehead gently. "I'll visit you tomorrow morning again. Goodbye, Hinata."

He stands up quickly and leaves, closing the door behind him. 

"Huh.." Hinata touches his forehead, on the place the emperor kissed. "Maybe he's not as bad as I thought?" 

♚♚♚ 

The sun was high up in the sky, glaring down at everything under it as Hinata, Kenma and Yukitaka sat below a huge, elder wisteria tree they found while exploring the whole Ooku Palace. 

Their personal knights, Lev and Kageyama were practicing with their katanas, Kageyama teaching Lev unique movements from the Kinryu Empire and vice versa. 

"Yukitaka." Hinata starts, chewing on a sandwich. "Is it true that you have a half-brother?" 

"What?? Who told you that???" Yukitaka coughs out, choking on his sandwich in surprise. Kenma, without even looking away from his book, hands over a water jug to Yukitaka, who guzzles the water down. 

"The emperor." He blurts out. "Well, is it true??" Hinata's eyes were sparkling in curiosity as he stared at the light-haired boy expectantly. 

"The-The emperor?! How does he know my half-brother?!" Yukitaka yells out, shocked out of his mind. 

"Shouyo, did the emperor visit you awhile ago?" Kenma suddenly closes his book, looking over at Hinata with serious eyes. 

"Y-Yes... He did.." He replies, feeling nervous despite not doing anything wrong. Kenma was scary when he was mad like this. 

"Shouyo, what did I tell you?" He had a frown on his face. "Don't talk to the emperor or even breathe the same air as him. He's a bastard." 

"He actually apologized awhile ago about his actions last week..." Kenma shoots him a glare, making him shut up. 

"A bastard is a bastard." The Koryu prince clicks his tongue, leaning back on the tree to continue reading his book. 

"But how does he know my brother...?" The merchant wondered out loud, still confused and shocked. 

"How else?" Kenma scoffs out, flipping a page of his book. "Your brother is probably one of his concubines. They probably fucked at night." 

"That's my brother we're talking about!! I didn't want to know that!!!" Yukitaka yelled out, rolling in the grass with his hands covering his ears. He was probably disgusted by what he just heard. 

"Probably... But that's not important. Is it true your half-brother looks like me??" Hinata was still curious, expectantly waiting for an answer. 

"Who told you that you looked like him?" Yukitaka sighs, massaging his temples. "Nevermind, don't answer that. I guess Aoi does resemble you a bit.."

"His name is Aoi?" Hinata's interest is piqued. That name was familiar. 

"Yeah. Himekawa Aoi. We have the same father, but he's part of the upper-class merchants since his mother is from a distinguished household." He seems happy talking about his brother, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. "We aren't the best of half-siblings, and we fight a lot, but I can always—" 

"Hey! You there!" A knight approaches from a distance, pointing at Yukitaka. "Yukitaka Izumi! Stop sneaking in the Ooku Palace!! Lower class and commoners are not allowed in here!!" 

"Oh shit!!! Sorry guys, gotta go!" Yukitaka panics, stuffing two sandwiches in his mouth before dashing away from the knight, who chases after him. 

Hinata laughs at the situation, Kenma cracking into a small smile as he packed up. 

"I have to leave too, Shouyo." He informs the orange-haired prince, who pouts. 

"We're not gonna play shogi?" Hinata crosses his arms, dismayed. 

"Sorry." He stands up and rubs the prince's hair. "I have medical classes today." 

"Alright..." Hinata feels sad that he couldn't spend the whole day with his friends. He stands up and walks out of the tree's shade and under the cloud-covered sun, approaching the knights. 

"Lev, let's go." Lev nods, shaking his head wildly to get rid of the sweat in his hair. 

"Yo, Hinata!" He pumps out his fist, which Hinata bumped his fist against. "See ya tomorrow!" 

"See ya!!" He replies happily, Kageyama immediately going behind him. 

"Stop talking in slang, Lev." He heard Kenma scold Lev as they walked away the other direction. 

"Let's go back home, Kageyama." Hinata tells his knight, who grunts in return. He was pretty tired from the sparring. 

The walk home was quiet, none of them talking when Kageyama starts to notice something. 

"Hey, Hinata..." Kageyama taps the shoulder of the prince. "Can you smell that? It smells kinda weird.." 

"Huh? Maybe that's just your breath wafting back to your face." He earns a smack on the head from Kageyama, who was glowering at him. 

"Boke! Hinata, boke!" 

♚♚♚ 

As they entered the palace, Kageyama notices that weird smell again. 

"Are you sure you can't smell that, Hinata?" He removes his geta and places it in the getabako. 

"Are you sure your nose isn't broken, Bakageyama? I can't smell anything weird." Hinata replies, also placing his geta in the getabako. "By the way, have you seen my stationary? I want to write to Natsu." 

"You lost your stuff again?" Kageyama sighs.

"I didn't lose it, I just misplaced it!" He grumbles out, making the knight roll his eyes. "Kageyama, help me find it!" 

"Fine, you airhead. Always losing your stuff." The knight follows the prince to his bed chambers, who was grumbling continuously. 

"I told you I didn't lose it!" He groans. "You look on that side. I'll look on this side." 

They start searching for the stationary, working in silence until Kageyama gets another whiff of the smell. It was stronger and more concentrated this time. 

"Hinata, are you really sure you can't smell it??" Kageyama asks for the third time, annoying Hinata. 

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? I told you I can't—" He feeezes. "Wait, that smell... What is that?" 

"I told you! I could smell something weird since awhile ago!" Kageyama exclaims. 

"Wait a minute..." Hinata trembles in his spot. "No, no.... Why??" 

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Kageyama approaches the prince, who loses balance. He's caught by the knight, who was now really concerned. 

"I took the pills.... It should've...." He starts to tremble even harder, his legs slipping under him as the knight quite literally held up his body. "It should've delayed the heat for a month... Why..." 

Clear liquid trails down Hinata's leg, dripping onto the floor. 

"What...?" Kageyama's eyes widen. "Shit!!!" 

The room is suddenly filled by Hinata's heat pheromones, the sickly-sweet scent almost overpowering Kageyama's willpower. His head was quickly turning into a muddled puddle, his reason quickly flushing down the drain like rain water down a kusari doi. 

"Hinata... Let... Go..." The knight grouses out painfully, feeling himself get aroused by the prince's scent. It was a seductive scent meant to trap alphas in. 

"Nooo..! I won't!!" Hinata whines out, clinging onto the knight's body even harder. 

The knight felt his groin throb, feeling extremely aroused. He felt like he was about to start salivating if he stayed any longer. 

"Hinata... Please let go... I'm an alpha...." He struggles to fight the urge of biting Hinata's nape, clenching his fist so hard his nails dug into his palm. 

Hinata's scent was driving him crazy. It was messing with his head so bad, he wanted to throw him on the floor and bite him all over. 

He wanted to release everything inside Hinata, he wanted to make him pregnant. 

But that was just his instincts talking. 

'Stay focused, Tobio. Don't look at Hinata.'

"Hinata, please—" 

"Please hold me." The prince sobs out, gripping the knight tightly. "I'm scared. I'm scared, Kageyama. Don't leave me please.." 

Kageyama accidentally glances down at Hinata, only to see a red-faced prince, who was trembling and shaking while struggling to remain standing. His mouth was open, tongue dripping with dribble. His eyes were unfocused, tears dripping down his cheeks. 

"...Fine." He picks up the prince and carries him, using all of his strength to remain calm as he shakily rummaged the medicine box for Hinata's heat suppressants. 

He gently sits down on the floor, still holding the prince in his arms as he popped 2 pills into the prince's mouth. 

"I'll stay until your heat suppressants kick in, but I'm going to wear a blindfold and cloth gag so I won't attack you." 

"Thank you...." Hinata mumbles weakly, snuggling Kageyama's leg. 

Kageyama uses his obi as a blindfold, tying it tightly as he ripped his haori sleeve to make a cloth gag. 

"Kageyamaaa..." Hinata's hot breath was hitting his groin, making his breath catch in his throat. "You're hard.." 

His hand slowly creeps up, but gets slapped away by the knight. 

"Don't fucking touch me!!" He barked out, startling the prince. 

"Ha.. I just.... Want to make you.... Feel good..." The prince moans out, still trembling violently. 

"Don't touch me anywhere else or I'm fucking leaving you!" The knight yells out, gagging himself as he took the prince off his leg, placing him beside him so he would only be touching his shoulder. "Just make your heat die down quickly..." 

It's now quiet, only Hinata and Kageyama's heavy breathing heard. Hinata was clinging onto Kageyama's arm, biting it occasionally to get rid of the sexual stress. 

They both hated the situation they were in right now, but it's the reality of an omega's heat. 

It's only because of Kageyama's strong willpower that Hinata's not marked and mated right now. 

Kageyama's nostrils flare, his hands gripping himself tightly. He bites down on the gag even more, drooling because he wanted to bite Hinata's nape so bad. 

'This is fucking torture.' 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! 
> 
> Pretty intense scene, ain't it? 
> 
> I am super sleepy right now, it's literally 4 am ackkk so I can't make any proper notes I apologize
> 
> Anywayss 
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Noren - traditional Japanese fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows. They usually have one or more vertical slits cut from the bottom to nearly the top of the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing.
> 
> *Kanzashi - hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. 
> 
> *Hakama - are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are worn over a kimono. 
> 
> *Tabi - are traditional Japanese socks worn with thonged footwear dating back to the 15th century. It has a slit in between the large toe and second toe. The tabi socks are used when wearing geta. 
> 
> *Kuuki Tama - directly translated into "air ball". This is just a game I made up for the sake of this story, since volleyball wasn't invented till 1895. This story takes place in 1762. 
> 
> *Geta - a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. 
> 
> *Getabako - a shoe cupboard in Japan, usually situated in the genkan, an entryway or porch of the house.
> 
> *Kusari doi - literally "chain gutter". They are alternatives to a downspout. They are widely used in Japan. Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain or to a storage container.
> 
> Okay, that's it for today's update! I hope it wasn't too horrible and crappy since I literally wrote it in the early morning with only one braincell working.
> 
> I shall sleep now T_T
> 
> Thank you for reading this all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, goodnight!! 💓
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	12. Darkness Surrounds the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I got pretty distracted oof,,, 
> 
> This chapter feels so short since it's only 2k+ words, I got used to seeing 3k words lololol 
> 
> Anyways, I drew something new, so expect to see it below.

♚♚♚

"Ugh..." Hinata sits up groaning, surprised to find himself on his bed, tucked in neatly. "My head is splitting..." 

It was already night fall, the full moon shining brightly and illuminating the surroundings in a cool glow. It was dark and cold in the room, the only source of light was the okiandon placed on the tea table.

He looks around the room, noticing the strong smell of alpha pheromones. It smelled like Kageyama, but instead of feeling threatened or dominated by it, Hinata felt at peace.

'That's weird. Aren't alpha pheromones supposed to feel asphyxiating and heavy? Kageyama's feels warm and calming...' It was like a warm blanket embracing him.

"Wait." He checks his body for any marks. None. "My heat is gone...!" 

Immediately, he touches his nape, sighing in relief once he felt it was smooth. "No mark."

On the tea table across the room, there was a tray filled with food, that was still warm. A note was slipped under the tray. 

Slowly, he slips off his bed, his legs still a bit weak from the after effects of his heat. A lamp was lit up for him on the table, and a cup of tea was prepared. 

Hinata picks up the note, holding it against the lamp's light to read it in the dark room. 

Imperial Prince, 

I prepared a light porridge dish for you to eat. Sir Kageyama said that you suddenly went into heat and fainted shortly after taking your medicine. Please eat this congee and drink this lavender tea to get rid of stress. 

Shimizu 

Hinata smiles at the note, grateful that Shimizu prepared hot food for him. He felt his stomach growl. 

'Right. I was unconscious the whole afternoon.' He thought to himself before removing the bamboo cloche covering the food, holding his hands together before thanking the meal. 

The prince begins to dig in, sighing in happiness as the warm congee filled his stomach, satiating his hunger. Having heat was such a tiring thing, it always made you weird all over, and you'd suddenly begin to lust for an alpha's seed. 

Hinata shudders as he remembered this afternoon's events. When he was still in heat, Kageyama's touches felt like electrifying ripples going through his whole body, and he wanted more. Was that normal?

"Whatever." Hinata slaps both his cheeks and stuffs his mouth with food. "Don't think about it!"

After filling himself up with food, he lies down on the floor and breathes out in content, staring at the ceiling. What should he do now? It felt so stuffy in the room with all the pheromones wafting around.

He wanted to go out, but Kageyama would definitely not allow him to even step outside his room. 

He would probably yell at him and say "Boke! Hinata, boke!"

Rolling on his side, he basked in the moonlight passing through the window. 

'I was supposed to write to Natsu and Imperial Father today.' He stretches his hand out, touching the moonlight. 'I'll do it tomorrow, I guess.'

It was constricting staying inside this room. He wanted to go out so badly. 

So he did the worst thing possible;

He sneaked out the window. 

Quietly, he disregarded the fact that he had no geta and snuck out his bedroom window, clinging onto the vines growing on the side of the house. Grunting, he struggles to soundlessly climb down the wall. It was tough, but he managed to reach the bottom without making any noise.

Sweat dripping down his forehead, he breathes in deeply and walks out of his palace barefooted. 

The grass was damp and cool, its blades tickling his unclothed feet. It felt cold outside, and with the minimal clothing Hinata was wearing, it was making him shiver. 

"I'll just take a short walk in the corridors and then go back." He tells himself and skips in the hallways, happy to be out of the room. Despite Kageyama's pheromones feeling comforting, it was hard to ignore the fact that his pheromones also smelled horny. 

Passing by multiple palaces, the prince observes the whole place. It was quiet, no person in sight around. It felt eerie, but at the same time, ethereal. 

Near the last palace, which was at the edge of the Ooku Palace borders, he heard a sound. Something clattered on the ground.

"Hello?" He called out. "Excuse me, do you need help?" 

No one responded. 

As if it was automatic, he approached the sound, and when he was two meters away, he was surprised to see a person pass by. 

He was wearing green clothes, the color of Suiryu Empire. He was wearing high-ranking clothing, which meant he was merchant-class or even a noble. 

His hair was light orange, like a washed-out version of Hinata's hair. 

The young man looked around before disappearing in the corner, and in that split second, Hinata saw his face. 

He looked like Hinata. 

"Wait, is that.." The orange-haired prince gasps. "Himekawa-san, wait—" 

He turned the corner to chase after Himekawa Aoi, and once he did, he froze in place. 

Himekawa Aoi was on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding his body. He was gasping, a person covered in black cloth standing above him. 

Hinata couldn't see the person's face, since it was completely covered, with the only opening showing the murderer's eyes.

His blood runs cold. 

He just witnessed a murder. 

Himekawa glances up, noticing Hinata standing at the side. He wriggles, blood spraying out of his mouth. "He...lp... Me.... Hel...p...me..."

A strong shiver shot down his spine. 

'Move, Shouyo. Move. Move your legs.' 

Using his willpower, he hides behind the pillar as the assassin whips his head to the side, glancing at the spot where Hinata just stood. 

If he was one moment later, he would've became the next dead body on the floor. 

He heard footsteps approaching, making his heart leap out of his chest. 

The assassin probably heard what Himekawa was saying, and knew a person was here. 

If Hinata didn't move right now, he's sure to become minced meat. 

Without even a second thought, he bolts down the corridor, thanking the dragon god he wasn't wearing any slippers which would make a lot of noise, and would slow him down. 

He takes a sharp turn, not daring to run back to his palace because he could lead the assassin towards there. 

'Where do I hide? I'm just running aimlessly, I didn't even think. Shoot, should I stop? Where do I—' His thoughts are cut off when he bumps into someone's back, boucing off and slamming onto the ground. 

"Huh? Watch where you're—" The person he bumped into turns around and cuts his sentence off, surprised to see him on the floor. "Hinata, what are you doing here? It's late. It's dangerous outside at night, you know?" 

Atsumu crouches down by the trembling prince, noticing his bare feet. "Why don't you have any slippers?" 

Hinata felt pathetic. Once again, he was scared. Once again, he was trembling in fear. But he couldn't help it. It was all so scary. 

It was the second time he saw so much blood exit a human's body. 

It was the first time he abandoned a dying person, who was crying for help. 

To make matters worse, it was his friend Yukitaka's half-brother, who was dying. 

How could he face Yukitaka now? 

Fear, terror, fright, guilt and regret attacked his heart, which was beating extremely fast. 

"Atsumu-san...." All the emotions swirling in him took its toll and he starts to sob loudly, throwing himself in Atsumu's arms. 

"Hinata..!" Atsumu falls back as Hinata sobbed on his shoulders, tears wetting his haori. "What happened? Did something happen?" 

"Atsumu, I don't think you should—" Osamu stops when Hinata starts to stutter out words. 

"Hime.. Hime.. Kawa... San..... Dead.... Killed..." He manages to stutter out, still sobbing in the emperor's arms. 

"Himekawa-san? Dead?" Osamu questions out loudly, trying to piece the puzzle together. 

Atsumu's eyes widen. "Himekawa Aoi, he's one of the concubines! Osamu, check Aoi's palace!" 

Osamu sighs, rolling his eyes. "Why are you panicking? The assassin won't be there anymore." 

He glances down at the two, who were sitting on the floor. "What are you doing just holding him like that? Stand up and carry him. He must want to be comforted."

Scratching his head, Atsumu scoops up Hinata as he stood up, carrying him in his arms in a princess carry. Hinata was nuzzling closely by his chest, using his body warmth to comfort himself as he sniffled back his cries. 

"Issue an emergency meeting and gather up the Kazoku. I will head over to the Imperial meeting room already. I want them all gathered in five minutes." 

Advisor Osamu bows, fixing his spectacles. "Of course, my Emperor." 

♚♚♚

Just as Atsumu ordered, the Kazoku were gathered around the meeting table in exactly five minutes, most of the members wearing minimal clothing that weren't even worn properly. 

Only Doctor Shirabu was dressed completely, holding a coffee cup in his hand. His eyebags were deep again, indicating he still wasn't sleeping. 

Everyone, except Shirabu, was staring at the Emperor, who was holding Hinata in his arms. The latter was snuggled up against him, wearing the large haori of the emperor. 

"Ahem." Commander Kuroo, who was barely dressed, clears his throat, staring directly at the prince. "Emperor, may I ask—" 

"Hm? Is it about Hinata?" The commander nodded. "Don't mind him. Proceed with the meeting." 

Osamu, who stood beside the Emperor, cleared his throat too. "I apologize for having to gather you all here so early in the morning, but we have a serious problem. Another concubine was killed."

The room is dead silent, everyone's faces grim. It was the second death in the Ooku Palace. 

"What's worse is that my concubine, Hinata, witnessed the murder." The emperor says, leaving the kazoku speechless. With that information, it was no wonder Hinata was cuddled up in the arms of Atsumu; he was seeking comfort. 

"What happened to the concubine's guard?" Koganegawa questions, his face serious. 

"I passed by before going to the meeting room. The guard was dead inside the detached house. Neck was sliced open." Matsukawa replies, making Hinata shudder, his instincts forcing him to hide under Atsumu's arm. 

Atsumu holds back a chuckle and hold the prince tight. "I see. Osamu, do you know which empire Himekawa Aoi came from?" 

Advisor Osamu pushes his spectacles up his nose bridge, checking a notebook filled with the names of the concubines and their information, all 100 of them. They're written down in here, whether the concubines are already sent home or dead.

His index finger skims down the list of names, stopping when he found Himekawa on the list.

"Found it." He glides his finger down the row. "He's from Suiryu Empire."

"Suiryu again?" Kuroo sighs, scratching the top of his head. "You don't think the assassin is only targeting the high-rankers of Suiryu, don't you?"

"I highly doubt that." Strategist Ushijima speaks up. Advisor Osamu nods in agreement.

"I agree with Strategist Ushijima. The first two deaths we have are just coincidentally from the Seiryu Empire. The reason why they died is most likely because the Emperor visited them at night."

Everyone begins to stare at Hinata again, wondering if he would throw a fit because he was jealous. No one knew that Hinata actually wasn't fond of the emperor, and was just clinging onto him because his instincts made him do it.

"Stop staring at him. You're making him feel uncomfortable." Atsumu's deep voice commands them, making them all stare at different directions. 

"Commander Kuroo, I want you to assign more knights outside the borders of the Ooku Palace walls. Assign some inside too." Kuroo nods, the look on his face serious.

"Investigator Matsukawa, I want you to be the one to investigate the death this morning. I know you can find clues."

"I will do my best, Emperor." Matsukawa bows his head.

"Doctor Shirabu, check the bodies as usual, please." The doctor raises his coffee mug to show that he agreed to the decision. His eyes were dead tired. 

"Strategist Ushijima, Co-Commander Iwaizumi, did you find anything in Sohoku?" The emperor asks, to which the two men sighed and shook their head.

"I apologize, Emperor. We found nothing about the Kodai." Ushijima was solemn, his head bowed down in shame. The emperor clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"The Kodai hide well, huh?" Everyone in the room sighs in agreement. "Advisor Osamu, please investigate in Sohoku again. Ask the commoners about the group if necessary."

"Understood, Emperor. I'll leave by dawn."

Atsumu glances down at Hinata, who was still snuggled against him, eyes closed. 

"Hinata, do you want to go back to your palace?" He mumbles softly to the prince, who shook his head.

"Okay. I understand." He kisses the prince's forehead and stood up, Hinata in tow.

"That will be all for now. We will continue this once Advisor Osamu is back. Meeting adjourned."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey heyyy~~
> 
> Before everything else, quick grammar lesson first ㅠㅠ
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Okiandon - had a vertical box shape, with an inner stand for the light. Some had a drawer on the bottom to facilitate refilling and lighting. A handle on top made it portable. A variety was the Enshū andon. 
> 
> *Kodai - 小 (ko) meaning "small", 大 (dai) meaning "big, great". This is the name of the group that are killing the omega concubines. 
> 
> I drew a scene from this chapter btw, the meeting scene where Hinata was snuggled up against Atsumu
> 
> Here's the link if you want to view it,,,
> 
> https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1289799520683880449?s=19
> 
> Thank you for reading The Male Empress!!
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	13. The Calm Before the Storm

♚♚♚ 

Hinata Shouyo lay unmoving, facing the ceiling. He was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with unfamiliar surroundings. 

Birds chirped outside, sun shining bright through an unfamiliar veranda that his palace never had. 

"... Where am I?" He questioned himself, sitting up from lying down. The bed was so wide and so soft you could get engulfed by it. "This isn't my bed, nor is this my room..." 

"Of course it isn't your room, you slept in my room." Hinata glances over to where he heard the voice, which he regretted shortly after. 

Miya Atsumu, in all his naked glory, was standing butt-naked across the room, with only a towel on top of his head. The prince's jaw dropped, too surprised to even talk. 

"Good morning." The emperor chuckles, walking towards the prince who was frozen in place. He kissed his forehead gently. "Like what you see?"

Hinata's mouth repeatedly opened and closed, unable to stutter out a sentence because of utter shock. 

'Woah, huge!!' He suddenly shook his head. 'Wait, stop it Shouyo! That's not the point! I. Can. See. His. Babymaker!!'

Finally, his brain starts to function and he yelps, throwing the kakebuton over Atsumu as he rolled off the bed, hiding in the corner. "Pu-Put on your clothes, p-please!!!!" 

The emperor bursts out into laughter, amused at the reaction of the prince, whose face was beet red in embarrassment. "Why are you embarassed? Don't you have your own?" 

"I don't showcase it to other people like an elephant's trunk!!" His hands were covering his eyes, still backed up in the corner. 

Atsumu approaches him, naked as ever, smirking at Hinata in the corner. "Are you embarrassed because my big, long—" 

"Stop harassing the prince, you madman emperor." Atsumu receives a hard smack on the head with rolled documents, which was held by a frowning Osamu. "Move over and go change." 

He pushes the emperor away and crouches in front of Hinata, laying his hand out. "I apologize for the actions of that crazy idiot. The emperor has a lot of work to do, so I shall be the one to escort you back to your palace." 

"But—" Osamu shoots a dirty look at Atsumu, who shuts up immediately. 

"YOU have a lot of work to do." The advisor helps the prince stand up, fixing his clothes for him. "I told you to change. Are you planning to become an exhibitionist? Are you going to flash everyone outside?" 

"Oi, Samu—" 

"Shut up." He grumbled at the emperor, glancing down at the confused but amused prince and smiled. "Let's go, Prince. Let's leave this demented person to fix his mind alone." 

"O-Okaaay..?" 

♚♚♚

The sun was covered by gloomy clouds, the sky a grey color. It was a depressing morning, medical experts surrounding a body covered by a white cloth. 

Investigator Matsukawa was also in the crime scene area, looking for clues and checking all nooks and crannies. 

"Huh... These assholes sure are good at covering their tracks." Matsukawa grunts out, the knights around him sighing in agreement. He takes out a jade pipe, lighting the opening and smoking it, exhaling a puff of smoke. They were having a hard time finding clues, since there were no clues left whatsoever. 

The only thing they found was an insignia of the group drawn in blood on the walls. 

A young boy suddenly rushes past Matsukawa, heading over to the clothed body. He shoves the medical experts away, weeping on the body. 

"Brother!! Brother!!!" He sobs out, his tears wetting the white cloth. The young lad moves the cloth away, seeing the pale face of Himekawa Aoi. 

"Who did this to you, brother?!" He bawls out, elbowing the people who were trying to pull him away from the corpse. It was the lost one's weeping; no one should be stopping him. 

"Stop trying to pull the boy away." Matsukawa clicks his tongue, approaching the crowd around the young boy and the dead body. "Are you Yukitaka Izumi?" 

"What's it to you?" He sniffed and held his brother's face, placing a lone kiss on his cold forehead. "I love you, Aoi."

"Hey, no need to be snarky." The investigator crouches down beside Yukitaka, placing a hand on his head and rubbing his hair. "I know how hard it is, losing a loved one. Believe me, I know the pain. I lost my mother, sister and my brother." 

Yukitaka sniffs again and looks at the investigator with sad eyes. "What happened to them?" 

Matsukawa had a sad smile on his lips, looking at the gloomy heavens. "They were killed." 

"I'm sorry for your loss..." The omega felt bad, bowing his head at the investigator, who chuckles in return and ruffles his hair. 

"It's fine. It was a long time ago, when the current Emperor was still a prince." He puffs out another smoke cloud. "I have advice for you, kid. Don't blame Hinata-san for this. You probably know by now that he was the one who discovered your half-brother. He wouldn't be able to take on the assassin if he did try to help, anyways." 

"Huh?" Yukitaka wipes his tears away, his eyes clear. "I don't t blame him at all." 

Matsukawa snickers, looking back. "You hear that, Hinata-san? He doesn't blame you, so don't be scared." 

Hinata, who was standing behind Yukitaka with Advisor Osamu, bursts into tears, sitting on the ground. 

"I'm sorry, Yukitaka! I couldn't do anything!! I'm a failure! I'm weak!" Yukitaka hurries over to the prince, giving him a big hug. 

"It's okay. It's okay, Hinata. You're not a failure, you're not weak. I'm glad you're not hurt." He pats the prince's head, soothing him. 

Matsukawa smiles at the sight, heading over to the other side to investigate more. 

"Now, look at me!" Yukitaka grabs Hinata's cheeks, pulling his face up. "Stop crying now! Or else I'll cry too~" 

Both of them laugh, wiping away at their tears. Hinata stopped crying, deciding he wanted to be someone his friend could lean on and cry to. It was always him crying, so now was his turn to be the strong one. 

"Oya?" Oikawa, who was passing by, crouches in the middle of the two, wrapping his arms around both of their shoulders. "Chibi-chan, why are you crying? Someone picked on you? Come on, cheer up! Here, let me bring you somewhere fun~" 

Oikawa pulls them both up, hurriedly pulling the confused boys along with him towards a secret place. 

"Let's~ Go~~!!" He cheers out. 

"U-Uh! Thank you for escorting me, Advisor Miya!" Hinata hurriedly thanks the advisor, who smiles and nods before he gets pulled away by Oikawa. 

♚♚♚

Still at the crime scene, another person runs by, asking each one of the people surrounding the place a question. 

Soon, the person who was asking around reaches Matsukawa, who was having a break and was smoking under a tree. 

"Good morning, sir. My name is Hanamaki Takahiro, I'm the personal knight of Archduke Oikawa Tooru. He's around this tall," the knight raises his hand to show how tall Oikawa was. "He has stupid brown hair and wears grey clothes. He's also very noisy and talkative. Have you seen him?" 

Matsukawa laughs, crossing his arms and leaning back on the tree. "I see. Hanamaki-san, was it? If you're talking about a noisy fellow, he went west, dragging his friends with him. Why are you looking for him?" 

The knight sighs loudly, dragging his palm down his face. "That idiot— ahem, the archduke escaped from his lessons when I wasn't looking, so I have to find him. Again." 

The investigator lets out a snicker, feeling slightly bad for the knight who was only trying to do his job of watching over his master. 

"I can lend you some of the knights here so you can find him faster, if you'd like." Hanamaki nods eagerly, shaking Matsukawa's hand rapidly. 

"Thank you so much, sir...?" 

"It's Matsukawa Issei. You can call me Mattsun for short."

"I-I see.. Then, please call me Hana! Anyways, thank you, Mattsun-san! You're a real life saver!" The knight bows at the investigator, who gives a small smile and nods in return. 

"Hey, you two. Follow Hana-san and help him find Archduke Oikawa." The two novice knights who were resting on the side nods, following behind Hanamaki, who walks ahead to to the west. 

"Hm." Matsukawa puffs out a cloud of smoke from his jade pipe. "He smells good."

♚♚♚

After fooling around with Oikawa and Yukitaka, Oikawa was fetched by his knight, who was glowering in anger. 

"OIKAWA. TOORU!" Like a devil approaching them, the trio scattered, running in different directions. 

"Aaawaaawwaaa Hana-chan!! I'm sooooooorrryyyyyyy!!" Oikawa yells out, rubbing his hands together in a praying position. "Do you want me to deep bow? I'll deep bow!!" 

"You little twat!" Hanamaki pinches Oikawa's ear, dragging him away. "I told you to stop escaping from your lessons!" 

"Ooow!! Hana-chan! Can't I say goodbye to my friends?" The archduke whimpers out, staring at his friends who were hidden behind a tree. 

"Ah. You're the friends this idiot dragged? I'm sorry for his misbehavior, we'll be going now!" The knight's face suddenly became soft, a smile on his lips as he said goodbye before he glared at the archduke and dragged him away by the ear. 

"Wah~ That was scary!!" A hand on his chest, Hinata breathes out a sigh of relief, slumping against the tree. 

"Uh, Hinata.." Yukitaka poked him, garnering his attention. "I don't think now's the time to be relieved..."

Slowly, Hinata turns his head to the direction Yukitaka was pointing to. 

Another angry knight was walking towards them, but this time, it was Kageyama Tobio. He had a sinister glare on his face, trudging loudly as he approached. 

"K-Kageyama! I can explain!" The prince blurts out, backing up as the knight slams his hand on the tree, caging the prince in a kabedon. 

"What do you mean explain? You snuck out at night after your heat died down and then you saw the assassin whose been killing the omega concubines. Don't you have a sense of danger?!" Kageyama growls out, their foreheads almost touching with how close they were right now. 

"I'm just... Gonna go..." Yukitaka scurries away, leaving Hinata extremely nervous, caged in Kageyama's arms. 

"I-I'm fine, Kageyama.. I was with the Atsumu-san." The knight's lips suddenly form a tight line, backing away as his frown softens. 

"You were with the emperor, huh?" He clicks his tongue, sighing. "Yeah. I guess that's okay. The emperor can protect you."

The knight takes hold of the prince's hand, gently leading him. "Let's just go back to the palace. Shimizu-san is worried sick." 

Hinata bites his lip, staring at Kageyama's back in concern. "Are you mad at me?" 

It was quiet for a while before he replied. ".... I'm not." 

The whole walk home, Kageyama wasn't glancing at Hinata, the two walking in awkward silence. 

As soon as they arrived at the palace, Hinata was greeted by Shimizu, who hugged him tightly, and the other maids, who surrounded the two of them and had a group hug. They were all worried for their master. 

After the hug fest, as Hinata was going in the palace, he's stopped by Kageyama. 

"I found your stationary. I left it on your bedside desk." With that, he left to train. 

"I guess he really is mad at me.." The prince sighs, entering the palace and leaving the geta he borrowed from Atsumu in the getabako. Slipping into the uwubaki slippers, he rushes up to his room, quickly taking his stationary and placing it on the tea table. 

"Let's see... I'll write to Natsu first!" Dipping his calligraphy pen into the ink, he starts to write a letter to his younger sister. 

He wrote about the nature, the city, the palace he was living in. He wrote about the people, the emperor, his new friends. 

He signs it afterwards, slipping it into an envelope and sealing it with candle wax and the Kinryu Empire insginia. 

After writing to his sister, he decides to write to his father. 

Dear Imperial Father,

I am doing well in the Seiryu Empire. Sir Kageyama is taking good care of me, and the maids assigned to my palace cook amazing meals everyday. The trees here are very beautiful, most of them are blue. The garden here reminds me of the garden back at home.

I rarely see Kei-san nowadays. I made some friends, but I still feel quite lonely here. I miss Kinryu Empire, I miss Natsu, and I miss my friends. I feel homesick.

The Emperor and I are quite close. I will try to ask him if I can visit home for a week. I will send a message back when I've gotten approval.

Love, 

Your son, Shouyo

♚♚♚

Rain started to pour down, the afternoon sky a dark color in Sohoku. 

Osamu arrives on a horse, wearing a large sandogasa on his head. He was disguised as a travelling merchant as to not draw any attention to himself. 

"Sohoku is as dreary as always." He muttered to himself, leaving his horse with a hostler nearby. 

Buying a wagasa from a nearby shop, he ignores the rain and starts to ask around about the Kodai. 

Unfortunately, no one knew of them. And if they did know about them, their faces would contort into fear and refuse to answer. 

"Haah." Osamu sighs in annoyance, rubbing his temples. "These rats hide well." 

Tired from asking around, he decides to wait the rain out in an old bookstore. The rain was getting stronger. 

"Hah. Even the Dragon God Ryujin is annoyed at these rats." He enters the shop with a frown on his face. 

"Welcome." The old man who manned the counter welcomed him, a gentle smile on his face. 

Osamu gave a tight-lipped smile, walking towards the corner of the shop to check out some books while the rain was still hard. 

Passing by the rows of books, a portrait of dainty men caught his attention. 

They were all smiling, huddled together like they were all close friends. There were 12 men in the photo, all wearing formal blue hakama's and the same haori design. 

"You like this portrait?" Osamu glances to his side, finding the old man beside him. The old man pats his back and smiles at the portrait with happiness. 

"It caught my attention." Osamu replies curtly. 

"Are you political, kid?" Osamu shook his head, pretending he wasn't. "Good. I'll tell you about this portrait."

The old man seats them both at a table in the corner, leaning forward. "That portrait.. Is my group. We were a bunch of omega men rallying for rights... Though we weren't able to get any." He chuckles. 

"We were killed by the Emperor 3 decades ago, the grandfather of the reigning emperor. I was the only survivor." The old man shakes his head, sighing. "We only wanted freedom and rights. Nothing more. But what we received was slaughter and blood." 

Osamu was listening intently, hiding a notebook under the table where he wrote down everything the man was saying.

"That's why, I tell ya boy, don't put your faith in whoever the Emperor is now. He's sure to be a tyrant just like his father, grandfather and ancestors." The advisor holds back a chuckle from escaping. The old man didn't know he was actually talking to the brother of the Emperor. 

"Do you know the Kodai, kid?" This was it. Crucial information. Finally, they could get a clue. 

"I don't think I've heard of them." He replied as nonchalantly as possible, his facial expression still the same blank look. 

"Well, kid, our group was the Kodai. Yeah, a bunch of omega males fighting for rights. Once most of us were killed, though, we went into hiding here in Sohoku. I passed the leadership rights to someone else and retired to this old shop."

"Oh. What happened to the Kodai, then? Disappeared forever?" Osamu asked. 

"I don't know what they're doing now. Last thing I heard from them is that they're moving to Konpeki." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey,,,
> 
> I drew another scene from this chapter, so I'll leave the link down below
> 
> https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1290700637160652801?s=19
> 
> I posted it on my twitter, you guys can check it out if you want
> 
> Ackk I almost forgot language lessons wkdoakdks
> 
> Nihongo Words:
> 
> *Kakebuton - also referred to as a kake buton or a kakefuton. These comforters are similar to western duvets, usually they are used with covers too.
> 
> *Kabedon - refers to the action of slapping a wall fiercely, which produces the sound "don".
> 
> *Sandogasa - a type of japanese traditional hat used for travelling. 
> 
> *Wagasa - "oil paper umbrella". A type of paper umbrella that originated in China.
> 
> Thank you for reading The Male Empress! 💓
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> ===


	14. A Letter Faring Home

♚♚♚

"Good morning, Imperial Prince. You're up early." Shimizu, who just entered the prince's chambers, was shocked to see the prince up and about so early in the morning, sitting at the tea table. 

"Hehe. Good morning, Shimizu." He grins at the maid, looking up from writing. "I'm just finishing up writing letters to my friends back at home." 

"I see." She smiles softly at him, opening the curtains to provide more light in the room. "Would you like me to pour you some sencha tea?" 

"Of course!" Hinata stretches his hands, flexing his fingers which were tired from writing letters. "Is Atsumu-san visiting today, too?" 

Magically, Shimizu was already holding a teapot, placing a tea cup in front of Hinata and pouring the piping hot tea into it. "Yes, Imperial Prince. The Emperor told me to relay to you that he would be visiting every morning." 

"Huh. This is becoming a routine already." He quips, folding the letters into the envelopes. "Shimizu-san, you can go and wait for the Emperor to arrive. I'll just fix up here."

The maid bows at the prince, excusing herself before exiting the room. 

It was quiet again, the serene sound of the water splashing in the distance and the ticking of the clock calming the prince before he heard footsteps approaching. 

It was funny, honestly. It hasn't even been two weeks since 'the incident', but now he wasn't even a tad bit nervous knowing Atsumu would come. 

Was it because of the time they spent together when he was trembling over Himekawa's death that made him feel at ease with the emperor? 

Well, the emperor did calm him down properly. Maybe that was why. 

"The Emperor has arrived, Imperial Prince." Shimizu announces outside the shoji doors, sliding it open so the emperor could enter the room. 

The emperor enters, his alpha pheromones wafting softly through the air. This was new. Atsumu never really released his pheromones. 

"Good morning, Hinata." He looked groggy, his hair disheveled and sticking out in different directions. 

"Good morning, Atsumu-san." Hinata replied happily, sealing his letters with a candle he was dripping over the seams. Atsumu chuckles, going over to where the prince was sitting and sat behind him, his legs circling around the prince's legs. 

"You don't even stand up to greet me anymore. How bold." He chuckles again, resting his chin on top of Hinata's head. His arms wrap around the prince's arms, hindering him from moving. 

"Weren't you the one who told me to be less formal?" He whines out, stamping the hot wax with the Kinryu Empire insignia. "Also, what are you doing sitting and clinging on me when there's a lot of space around us for you to sit?" 

"Shh." Atsumu shushed Hinata, snuggling his face on his neck. "I'm calming myself. Osamu brought me a lot more work today, I need to recharge." 

"Recharge?" Hinata laughs out. "Am I a battery now?" 

"Yes, you are." He snuggles more into the prince. "You're my bright battery."

"Okayy, okaayy. Did you come here just to snuggle me??" Although his words were complaints, Hinata leaned back against Atsumu, relaxing in his hold. The two were sharing a calming moment that doesn't really happen between an unmated alpha and omega that were alone in a room. 

"Partly, yes." The two burst out into chuckles. "But, I came to ask you how you are doing." 

"I'm doing fine. I still feel bad about Yukitaka's half-brother, but Advisor Miya told me it wasn't my fault." He sighs out, suddenly solemn. 

"Hey. It really isn't your fault, Hinata." The emperor's hold on him tightens, his body warmth spreading through him. "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Right. Atsumu-san." Shaking out of the emperor's hold, Hinata turns around to face him. "If it's allowed, may I ask for a favor?" 

"A favor?" Atsumu's large hand rubs Hinata's cheek, as if he was petting a cat. "Of course. What is it?" 

The prince felt a bit shy asking for a favor. He felt quite thick-faced, but for his family, he'd suck up his dignity. "Well, uh.. I wanted to ask if I could visit Kinryu for 3 days... Just to spend time with my family. I feel homesick." 

"Visit home, huh?" Atsumu held his chin, eyes closed as he thought deeply. "I guess that's fine, but only 3 days. No extending. I don't want my favorite staying out for too long." 

Atsumu snuggles his neck again, making Hinata giggle and feel tickled. "Stop that. I'm your favorite? That's funny." 

"What's so amusing about that?" Atsumu holds Hinata at an arms reach, suddenly smirking. "Actually, in return for me allowing you, I should get a kiss." 

The prince's face flushes beet red, embarrassed at the request. "K-K-Kiss?! Emperor, are you crazy?!" 

The emperor gave him a deadpan look, taking his face in his palms. "Why are you suddenly calling me Emperor? Also, it's just a kiss, why are you so embarrassed?" 

The prince's heartbeat sped up rapidly, nervous and anxious on what the emperor would do to him. He was suddenly remembering his trauma again. 

"Please don't. That's my first kiss.. Wah!" He was pulled against the emperor's chest, who was looking down at him. 

"Just a small kiss— Argh!!" Before Atsumu's lips could even touch Hinata's, he's smacked by an azurite smoking pipe by none other than Advisor Osamu. 

"I told you this yesterday, but it seems I have to rattle your skull to make you remember." Osamu smacks the pipe on the top of Atsumu's head several times, making him let go of Hinata and cover his head. "Stop. Harassing. The. Prince." 

"I wasn't harassing Hinata..." He pouts, rubbing the top of his head. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me.." 

Suddenly, the emperor scurries behind Hinata, clinging onto him with his whole body. 

"Atsumu-san?!" The prince yelps out, struggling to remove the emperor's vice grip on him. "Please stop acting so childish!" 

"What you're thinking is correct. I'm here to drag you back to work, you numbskull." Osamu approaches Atsumu, grabbing him by his collar and dragged him across the floor, pulling Hinata with him. 

"Advisor Miya, please wait!! I'm being dragged, too!!!" Sighing deeply, the advisor pulls the emperor away from the prince, dragging him out the door. 

"You really need to learn how to finish the tasks given to you!" He heard the advisor bark out, something heavy being dragged on the floor. Atsumu was still probably being dragged around. 

"I don't want to! I want to spend time with Hinata!" 

"You childish— Stop being so annoying!" A thwack echoed throughout the palace, maids trying to suppress their giggles as they watched the emperor sulk childishly. It was a sight to behold. 

Giggling to himself, Hinata organizes his letters which he would give to the maids to send it to the messenger. "Atsumu-san allowed me to visit home. I'm excited to write back to father!" 

♚♚♚

After the ruckus so early in the morning, Hinata gets ready to meet his friends under the large wisteria tree on top of the hill behind the Ooku Palace. 

"Shimizu-san!" Hinata yelled from the entrance, slipping on his geta. "Is the sandwiches done already?" 

Shimizu exits the kitchen, holding a basket in her hand that she handed over to Hinata. 

"I added more snacks in case Imperial Prince and his friends would want to eat something different." The prince embraces the maid, who although surprised, hugged him back. 

"Thank you, Shimizu-san!" He chirped happily, rubbing his face on the maid's body before letting go. As he was getting ready to exit the palace, he hears a little voice. 

"Mama!" A child called out, walking through the hallways barefoot. She looked younger than three years old. 

"Goodness, Reimi! Didn't mama say to stay in the kitchen?" The maid hurriedly runs over to the wobbling child, sweeping her up in her arms before bowing at the gaping prince. "I sincerely apologize, Imperial Prince. My husband could not watch over our child so I brought her in secretly. Please punish me accordingly."

"Shimizu-san..." Hinata trailed off, staring at the child. "Your child... She's so.... Cute!!!!!" 

"Mama! That pretty boy called me cute! Mama, I'm cute, right?!" The child's actions made Hinata swoon. 

"Yes, Reimi. Mama finds you very cute." She kisses her daughter's cheek lovingly. "I apologize again, Prince. She's still too young to understand the concept of royals." 

Hinata waves his hand. "It's fine, Shimizu-san. Also, you can bring her in anytime, I don't mind!" 

"Mama, da pretty boy said I can stay!" 

"Shh, darling. Don't be too noisy." 

"Oi, Hinata." Kageyama, who has been waiting at the door, says. "We're going to be late if you don't leave now." 

Taking one last glance back at the maid and her daughter, Hinata waves at them and bids goodbye, exiting the palace. 

They were both quiet, none of them talking. It was like a huge wall lodged in between them. 

"Hey, Kageyama?" The knight grunts in return, glancing at the prince. "The past few days, you've become... Distant." 

"I'm not." Kageyama replies curtly, following behind Hinata. 

"You're literally walking 2 meters away from me!" The prince exclaimed, turning around to face the knight. "What's wrong with you?" 

The knight breathes in and grimaces, rubbing his nose before sighing. "Sorry. I just have a lot in my mind." 

"Are you sure? Because—" 

"Hinataaaaa!!" His sentence was cut off by his friend, Yukitaka, who runs over to him and pounces, giving him a big hug. 

"Yukitaka! Can't breathe!!" Hinata struggles in Yukitaka's hold when another person bear hugs the two of them. 

Of course, it was no other than Oikawa Tooru. 

"Chibi-chaaan!" He purred out, embracing the two omegas. He was rubbing his face against the prince's hair, sighing happily. "As I though, chibi-chan's pheromones smell so fresh and sweet~"

"Oikawa-san... Can't... Breathe..." Hinata was now struggling in the archduke's bear hug, who continued to happily embrace the two. Yukitaka was also wiggling around. 

Kenma, who was reading under the wisteria tree, notices Hinata sandwiched in between and stood up, dropping his book on the side. 

"Wow." Lev, Kenma's knight who was leaning against the tree, gasped out. "They actually were able to make Kenma stand up. Amazing, ain't it, Hanamaki-san?" 

Hanamaki rolls his eyes, baffled at the sight unfolding in front of their eyes. 

Kenma was walking over to the group who were hugging. Hinata was struggling to breathe. Yukitaka looked like he lost his soul. Oikawa was squeezing the life out of the both of them. Kageyama, well... He was just quietly observing under the shade of a tree. 

Hanamaki shakes his head. "They're so chaotic. Why can't they act like normal people?" 

Lev chuckles. "Normal? Do you think they could act normal?" 

"Hey, piss off." Hanamaki clicks his tongue, glaring at the tall knight. "You're one to talk. You're also crazy." 

Meanwhile, Kenma pulled Hinata away from the sandwich hug, pulling him into a protective hold. 

"Stop touching Shouyo." The blonde prince hissed at the two, who were still embracing. "Shouyo is mine. Only I can hug him." 

Oikawa scoffs, snickering. "Oho, what did you say? What are you, an alpha?" 

The two exchange glares, territorial sparks flying in between them. 

"What the.." Hanamaki suddenly stood up straight. "Those crazy... Are they really gonna fight?"

They definitely looked like they were. 

But before a fight could even break out, a beta knight passes by, taking complete hold of Oikawa's attention. 

Without even taking his eyes off the beta knight, he pushes away Yukitaka, who stumbles over his legs and falls. As if on instinct, he runs over to the knight who was minding his poor business, locking arms with him. 

"Hello~! My alpha~!" The archduke rubbed his cheek on the knight's arm, breathing in his scent. It was a scent that captivated him, despite not being an alpha.

"Stop calling me that." Iwaizumi grunts out, shrugging off the archduke's hold on him. "I'm a beta."

He fixes his crumpled sleeves, smoothing it out as Oikawa stared at him, head tilted.

"Ah, sorry!" Oikawa's grip on Iwaizumi's arm got tighter. It didn't seem like he would let go. "Did you get offended by that? But I consider you as my alpha...."

Hanamaki, whose vein was about to pop in anger and embarrassment, quickly headed over to them. As soon as he was in front of them, he pulled the archduke away from the beta knight, immediately forcing him to bow deeply. 

"I apologize, Sir Iwaizumi! He's just overly clingy with people who piqued his interest.." Iwaizumi was silent, only staring at the two men bowing. "You stupid.. Can't you act like a decent human being for once?"

With a pout, Oikawa pushes away Hanamaki, clinging on Iwaizumi once again like a leech. "Stop pulling me away! I haven't seen him since my heat!" He whined, giving puppy dog eyes to the co-commander knight. "Can I go over to your place today? Pretty please~?"

Hanamaki sighs loudly, a deadpan look on his face. "Nothing is pretty about your please. Stop bothering Sir Iwaizumi."

"Hmm." The co-commander looks down at the omega who was clinging on his arm. "Don't you have your own alpha? Can you stop bothering me?"

Oikawa suddenly snickers, grinning mischievously at the knight.

"Oho? Are you jealous? Don't worry, I don't like alphas. Besides.." He scoots closer, pulling the knight down to whisper in his ear. "My heat is irregular, and I think I'm in the mood for sex today.."

Iwaizumi's eyes suddenly widen, gritting his teeth. He takes hold of Oikawa's waist and pulls him close, bowing at Hanamaki. "Sorry, I'll be taking him away for a while."

With that, Iwaizumi and Oikawa hurriedly walk away, disappearing in the distance, leaving Hanamaki dumbfounded. His master, once again, escaped. 

"I give up!" He yelled, stomping back to the tree he was leaning on. He goes back to his place, muttering incoherent words under his breath. He was most probably cursing him.

Kenma, who was now propped under the wisteria tree with Hinata's head resting on his lap, sighs and shook his head. ".... Sex crazed idiot."

"Enough about that flirty one. Let's talk about Hinata. Are you okay? Not hurt?" Yukitaka asks the orange-haired prince, who frowns in confusion. 

"Are you okay, Shouyo? Did something happen to you?" Kenma worriedly asks, touching his forehead. "No fever. Did you get hurt?"

"Huh?????" Hinata was even more confused now. "Why would I get hurt?"

Yukitaka stares at him like its the most obvious thing ever. "Uh, the Emperor visited you again this morning."

"And so...?" The Kinryu prince turns his head and locks eyes with the blonde prince, who was staring at him with a blank look. "Him again? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"E-Eeehhh??? No, he didn't do anything at all... I'm sure he's really sorry about assaulting me during the first week." Both of his friends grimace at him, not believing him at all. 

Shouyo, you're too kindhearted, that's why people want to take advantage of you." Kenma clicks his tongue, patting Hinata's head. 

"Yeah, that's right! You shouldn't forgive and forget so easily!" Yukitaka scolds him, flicking his forehead. 

"Ow, hey!" He yelps, rubbing his aching forehead which was quickly turning red. "Why are you all worrying about me? I'm fine! Instead, how are you, Yuki?"

Yukitaka suddenly turns solemn, sighing before giving a sad smile. "I'm doing fine and coping well, I guess? I'm a bit scared, though... Aoi is already the second death in the Ooku Palace.." 

Kenma grumbles, fumbling with Hinata's hair. "Their security is atrocious. And they're called the second strongest empire? what a joke." 

All three of them sigh, Hinata rolling around in his friend's lap. "I feel homesick. Kageyama isn't even talking much, so I feel even more homesick."

"Shouyo, you told me before someone could cure your homesickness." The Koryu prince rubs the orange-haired prince's cheek like he was petting a cat. "Why don't we find that person?"

Hinata rolls off Kenma's lap, staring at the sky. "Haah... I miss Kei-san. I wonder what he's doing right now.."

Meanwhile...

Tsukishima Kei was in the balcony of Kuroo's room, leaning on the railing wearing only Kuroo's light blue haori. The wind blew through his hair, clothes fluttering with the air. He pushes his spectacles up his nose bridge, breathing in the clean morning air. 

The bed shifts, creaking as a tall alpha emerged from inside the room, moving towards the dainty omega sluggishly. He yawns, rubbing his eyes as he ruffled his bed head. 

"Good morning Kei." Kuroo back hugs Tsukishima, kissing his nape which held his mark. "Where's my morning kiss?"

Kei turns around, kissing his alpha on the lips quickly before sighing. "Why are you so clingy when you're an alpha?"

Kuroo grins, raining kisses on his face. "It's because Kei doesn't think we're fated pairs! Hmp! That's why I'm clingy towards Kei~"

"Stop clinging on me. When can I go back to my palace? I'm pretty sure Prince Hinata is looking for me again..." The commander rubs his face on the omega's cheek, purring. 

"That shrimpy Prince? The Emperor is taking care of him, he's fine."

"The Emperor??" He exclaims, holding Kuroo at an arm's length. "That makes me even more worried. I need to go meet him."

"B-But Kei, you can't go out! I don't want anyone seeing my pretty Keiiiii~~" He clings on Tsukishima, whining loudly. 

"Fuck off!"

♚♚♚

Sizzling filled the hallways, a flavorful aroma wafting through the air. Sakunami Kosuke was cooking brunch for his mate, who was still sleeping. 

"Kogane! Rise and shine, it's time for brunch!" Sakunami heard a thud echo, loud groans coming from the bedroom. Koganegawa was rubbing his head, yawning as he scratched his stomach. He was wearing nothing, stark naked.

"Mornin', Saku-chan." He kissed the omega's cheek, rubbing his body against his mate's back. "What's for brunch today?"

The earl sighs, reaching at the back to rub his mate's cheek. "Unagi and gyudon. Can you please stop rubbing your pheromones on me and put on some clothes? And get rid of boner, it's rubbing against my butt."

"I'm scenting you so you'll smell like me the whole day~" He sighs in content, kissing Sakunami's neck. "Your neck looks so pretty with my bite mark. You know what else would look pretty?"

Sakunami sighs again, deciding to entertain the playful alpha. If he didn't entertain him, he would most likely bother him more. "What else would look pretty, Kogane?"

Koganegawa smirks, his hand travelling down towards the earl's stomach. "It would be pretty if you finally got pregnant with our baby. Should I eat you for brunch instead and make love first thing in the morning?"

A funny smile gets placed on Sakunami's lips, finally turning around to face his alpha. He places his hand on the alpha's cheek, who snuggles his palm and kisses it. "Are you crazy?"

He still had a smile on his face, but if looks could kill, Koganegawa would be dead by now.

"But baby—" 

"You knotted me twice last night. We are definitely not going to do it first thing in the morning." He pushed away the alpha, placing the food he cooked on the dining table. 

"Baby—" Koganegawa was ignored, the omega sitting at the table.

"Sit down, Kogane. Time to eat."

The alpha sighs, seating himself across the omega. "Fiiiiine."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! 
> 
> I'm finally done with the cover for TME qwq (although I can't really use the cover on ao3, i use it on wattpad) 
> 
> I used Paint Tool SAI to draw the cover, I literally took 8 HOURS to finish this
> 
> Here's the clean version link: https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1291380217827614721?s=19
> 
> iM TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS PIECE!!! LIKE I ACTUALLY LOVE IT HSJDJSHDHSHDD
> 
> This time im being genuine, THIS ART PIECE IS AWESOME I LOVE IT SO MUCH HNGHHHHH
> 
> IDK MANS IM LEGIT SOOO IN LOVE, PAINT TOOL SAI BESTO (well clipstudio paint besto but i am poor i cannot buy it i have no money)
> 
> I also drew another cute Atsuhina scene, chibi sketch that took 5 mins hehe
> 
> Here's link: https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1291592204838768645?s=19
> 
> Okay I'm donee!! Sorry if this is boring I kinda wasn't feeling it when I was writing it, but I tried to make it as interesting as possible!!
> 
> Thanm you for supporting The Male Empress! I love you all ❤️
> 
> P.S.: Shit about to go down in the next few chapters 😳😳😳
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	15. Unspoken, Unsaid Words

♚♚♚

It was a cold morning, around 7 am, Hinata Shouyo reading a book in the leisure room. The room was chilly, Hinata wrapped up in a large kakebuton as he read. 

Autumn season was cold this year. 

A week has already passed since he sent a letter to his father, which was weird. It only takes 2 days on carriage to arrive in Kinryu from Seiryu Empire, and it's definitely much faster when delivered on horse. What was taking his father so long to send a reply back? 

He sighs, his thoughts interrupted by a curt knock on the door. 

"Is that you, Shimizu? Come in~" Without even looking up from his book, he allows the person to come in, who almost soundlessly opens the door to enter. 

His eyes are suddenly covered by warm hands, restricting his eyesight. 

"H-Hey!!" He whined out, trying to pull the hands off his face, but the person was too strong. "What are you— Wait, you smell like... Atsumu-san?" 

"Ding ding ding! Correct~!" The emperor's hands, which were covering Hinata's eyes, retracted, cupping the prince's cheeks instead. He kissed the prince's cheek, his nose nudging his skin. "Good morning, Hinata. How are you doing today?" 

He leans on the backrest of the couch, his face right beside Hinata's. 

"Um, can you stop kissing my cheek everyday? And I'm fine, just feeling a little cold today since the temperature dropped." 

"How can I ever stop kissing your cheek when you're this adorable? Be grateful it's only your cheek I'm kissing." Atsumu chuckles, going around the couch to sit beside Hinata. "Huh, it is cold. I'm getting goosebumps because of the cold wind." 

Putting down his book to the side gently, he unwraps the duvet covering his blanket and opens it, his eyes expectantly staring at Atsumu. "Do you wanna go in the kakebuton, too?" 

Atsumu grins boyishly, scooching closer. He wraps a strong arm around Hinata, pulling him close. 

'Atsumu-san smells good, like a forest.' The prince thought to himself, instinctively burying his nose on Atsumu's chest. He cuddles close, Atsumu wrapping the duvet around both of them. 

The prince breathes in the emperor's pheromones. It was woodsy and musky; a warm, strong and sweet scent that made you want to cuddle close. 

"Atsumu-san. You're very warm." He blurts out unconsciously, snuggling closer. His eyes were closed, his long sooty eyelashes fanning against his pale skin. The prince was breathing lowly, his breathing following the rhythm of the emperor's chest. 

Atsumu places his palm on the top of the prince's head, gently brushing through his soft hair. "Maybe I'm heating up since I'm so close to you." 

Hinata laughs softly, shaking his head. "That's so weird. What's up with that?" 

Atsumu rolls his eyes jokingly, ruffling Hinata's hair. "You're silly, you know that?" Hinata only sticks his tongue out at the emperor, who pinches his nose. 

"By the way, a letter came for you. I believe the sender is your father." As soon as those words exited the emperor's lips, the prince sprang up in surprise, almost making both of them tumble over. 

"Really?!" He yells out, making the emperor wince. "Ack, sorry. I'm just excited. But why is it with you?" 

Atsumu took the letter out from inside his breast pocket, handing it over to the excited prince whose eyes were sparkling. "A maid was going to deliver this to you, so I took it since I was going to visit you anyways."

"I see, thank you! I'll read this now!!" He chirps out, almost bouncing up and down in excitement. 

His father finally wrote back! 

Staring at Hinata with an amused look, he watches the orange head rip the letter open, pulling out a folded piece of paper that glinted gold in the light. "Why didn't you use a letter opener? That's a very uncouth thing to do." 

"Too thrilled to wait, I'll read this now!" He jumps back on the couch, snuggling up close to Atsumu comfortably as his eyes scanned the contents of the letter addressed to him. 

My Dear Shouyo,

I know you feel homesick son, but that is just normal. Instead of having worthless feelings such as that, why don't you try getting closer to the Emperor? It seems you're close enough. You should spend time with him. 

Don't even think about going home here. If the Emperor chooses you as his Empress, our Empire will prosper in strength. Stop dilly-dallying over there. 

Imperial Father

His smile falters, his sparkling eyes turning blank as he stuffed the letter back in the envelope soundlessly. 

He felt stupid. What did he expect? His father would welcome him home with open arms? 

Atsumu, sensing Hinata in distress, wraps his arms around him in a protective hold, using his pheromones to calm him down. "What's wrong, Hinata?" 

"Nothing's wrong, Emperor." He replies coldly, a hint of sadness in his voice as he stood up, leaving the letter on the kotatsu across him. "I don't have to go home anymore, by the way." 

"Hinata, are you—" 

"Emperor." Two curt knocks tapped the door, sliding open to reveal Advisor Osamu. His strict eyes glowered at Atsumu, looking pissed out of his mind. 

"Did I not tell you this early morning that you have work to do? Why do I find you here with Prince Hinata once again?" Advisor Osamu's eyes squinted at the emperor, who sighs. 

"Hinata, are you going to be okay by yourself?" He asks, caressing the prince's cheek who turns away from his hold. 

"I'm fine, Emperor. Just go, you have work." 

With a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes, he bid farewell to the worried emperor who was glancing back at him until he exited the room. 

♚♚♚ 

Under the same large wisteria tree outside Ooku Palace walls, Kenma and Hinata were seated under the shade. Hinata's head was on Kenma's lap, sniffing as he stuffed himself with the snacks Shimizu packed. 

Their personal knights were sparring once again, still training diligently as usual. 

He just finished crying and venting out to Kenma, nose and eyes tinted red. 

"Imperial Emperors are really bastards, aren't they?" Kenma quips, making both of them burst out into little chuckles. 

"Is your father also like that, Kenma?" Kenma smiles softly, gently patting the orange-haired prince's head. 

"He is. I used to follow his every order until I learned I love medicine." He chuckles, staring at the greying sky with a reminiscent look. The sun was getting covered, the heavens turning darker by the second. 

It looked like rain would pour down any second now. 

"You know, I wasn't even into studying medicine before. But then I got sick of my heat, so I learned how to make pills. Suddenly, I've made a strong heat suppressant." He shakes his head, an amused smile on hks face. "Funny, isn't it?" 

"Huh? N-no, it isn't!" Hinata hurriedly sits up, holding the blonde prince's shoulders. "Kenma, you're amazing, you know? I wish I could be like you, but I don't think my brain can handle that much science, hehe."

"You probably can do it if you put your mind to it." He smiles gently, suddenly staring at Hinata with emotion filled eyes. "Shouyo, I..." 

Hinata, who was eating sandwiches, glanced at his friend, cheeks puffed and full with food. "Hm? Were you saying something, Kenma?" 

Kenma laughs, shaking his head as he wiped the sauce off Hinata's cheek with his thumb, licking it. "Haha, nothing. Just continue eating."

"Mm, okay!" He replies, continuing to eat the snacks. 

Kenma breathes out an inaudible sigh, staring at the orange-haired prince sadly. 

Unspoked words. Unsaid thoughts. 

That's what they were. 

♚♚♚

Another week passes, and in thaf week, Matsukawa still couldn't find any clues about the Kodai. 

He slams his fist on the tree, his kuckles bleeding as he growled lowly. With the same bloodied fist, he takes out his jade pipe and lights the opening, breathing in the nicotine before puffing it out. 

He was the best investigator in Seiryu Empire. He was so good at his job, he was offered his spot on the Kazoku as the direct subject of the Emperor. 

So why couldn't he find a bunch of rats? 

More concubines were dead, from the commoners this time. 2 dead commoner concubines from each empire. 

There were 6 empires in the Ryu Empire. 

12 were discovered dead, in their rooms, in their beds, soaked in their own blood. 

Their necks were slit open, tongue cut off to signify silence. Only a drawing of the insignia using blood was on the wall. 

"Fuck!" Matsukawa growls through gritted teeth, his hand dripping blood. No one dared to approach Matsukawa, especially since he was so pissed and on edge today. 

Except for Hanamaki.

Hanamaki, who was passing by quickly, caught a glimpse of the investigator's fist, which was bleeding profusely. He was holding gauze in his hands, probably on his way to patch up his master, who was so hard headed. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he got a large wound from going around everywhere and disappearing from his knight's sight. 

He approaches the brooding investigator, who was oozing with threatening pheromones that could sting an alpha and make an omega bare his neck and submit. 

Unluckily for Matsukawa, Hanamaki was a beta, which meant pheromones wouldn't really work on him unless they were in a closed area and the pheromones were concentrated. 

Matsukawa grunts, about to tell him to piss off before the knight starts to patch him up, wrapping the gauze around his bruised and bloody knuckled. 

Holding his large hand with two hands, Hanamaki unonsciously kisses the patched wound after he finished wrapping his hand. 

"Ah." He felt himself turn slightly red because of what he did. "Force of habit. Oikawa is childish."

"Yeah, it's okay." The atmosphere was awkward, but Hanamaki was able to calm down the enraged Matsukawa. He was now more calm. 

Why does this beta's scent smell so good?

"Well, I'll be going now." Hanamaki bows at him, hurrying away. He had to patch his master who did stupid shit again. 

"Huh." Matsukawa is surprised at himself for auddenly calming down. "It's, weird how he can have such a nice, alluring scent when he's a beta." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand doneeee!!
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is short its literally 5 am I am typing as good as I can while my eyelids keep closing
> 
> Its only 1.7k words I am ashamed but so sleepy I can't 
> 
> Ok I can sleep now
> 
> Sleepy time for me
> 
> Oyasumi
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshticks  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	16. Misunderstanding Begets Chaos

♚♚♚

The afternoon was gloomy, a cold breeze taking over the Seiryu Empire as rain started to pour, draining down the rain pipes of the roofs of each palace. 

The Main Palace had just announced the death of 12 commoner concubines, all found in their bed chambers with slit necks and no tongue. 

Because of that, the commoner's palace, Nokoshomura, was thrown into a chaotic frenzy. Most of them were panicking like headless chickens, begging the knights standing guard outside to open the gates. The guards were aloof to all the chaos, not budging from their spot despite multiple commoners hitting them.

"They're killing us commoners because we're not fit to be concubines of the Emperor! We must leave!" One yelled out, making the dozen other commoners yell in agreement. 

"It's the nobles! The nobles are killing us off!" 

A round of loud agreement roared through the crowd. 

"Let us out! If you want us out, then we'll get out!!!" 

The Emperor and his advisor watched the chaos ensuing from the main palace, the emperor sighing deeply and pinching the bridge of his nose out of stress. 

"Osamu, I don't understand why you would announce the deaths of 12 commoner concubines to Nokoshomura. Do you enjoy seeing chaos?" Atsumu sighs, annoyed at how loud the commoners were being. He already had a lot of work on his plate, and now he had to take care of the commoner's panic. 

"I must be honest with the concubines or else they would revolt. You would not want that, don't you?" Advisor Osamu asked his brother, his arms crossed over his chest. The latter only sighed and nodded. "Besides, you asked me to get rid of the commoners. Now they all wish to go home." 

"I asked you to do it in a civil way.." 

"Well, I did it under your name, and you definitely are not civil." Osamu quips, chuckling as he observed the commoners begging to open the gates. 

"You really are trying to ruin my image, aren't you?" Atsumu stresses out, his face in his hands. Osamu only laughs sardonically. 

"Image? What image? It's been destroyed as soon as you became Emperor."

"Touché." 

Meanwhile, at the Ooku Palace, all the nobles and high-class merchants were all calm. 

..... Except for one. 

Of course, it was Hinata Shouyo. 

He was holding Kageyama by the arm, dragging him out the Ooku Palace and towards Nokoshomura. 

"Stop pulling on me! Why are we even going towards the chaos?!" Kageyama yelled out, pulling his arm out of the prince's grasp. 

Hinata whipped his head back, facing the knight with teary but angry eyes. "I need to find Yukitaka!" 

The knight sighs, shaking his head before he went over to the prince, picking him up and placing him on his arm. 

"There." Kageyama grunts out. "You can see now, right? Stop panicking and look for Yukitaka-san. I'm sure he's safe." 

Hinata could see clearly now, since he was above all the heads of the commoners swarming around, but it wasn't that comfortable since he was basically being carried by his knight. 

"Y-You know we could've just gone through the crowd, right?!?" The prince yelled in embarrassment, beet red as some of the omegas stared at him in curiosity and amusement. 

"Too much of a hassle." The knight grouses out, sticking his pinky in his ear. He was definitely not going to listen to Hinata to put him down. 

Sighing, Hinata started to scan over the sea of people, looking for his friend. He was extremely worried, and nervous.

What if he was one of the concubines killed? What would happen then? 

He prayed to the Dragon God, hoping for the best as he yelled out Yukitaka's name, feeling increasingly worried as he couldn't see any sign of his friend. 

"YUKITAKA!!" Voice turning hoarse, he used all of his strength to yell loudly against the loud crowd. 

"HINATAAAA!!!" He heard a voice scream from a distance, hands poking out from the crowd. The hands were frantically waving. 

It was Yukitaka! 

'He's safe...!!!' He breathed a sigh of relief, waving his arms above his head frantically. Yukitaka sees it, pushing past the sea of people as Hinata struggled to get out ot Kageyama's hold. 

"Yukitaka!!" The prince flung himself on his friend, clinging onto him like a wet glove as he sniffed back his tears. 

He really was worried for his friend. 

"H-Hey, Hinata! We'll fall over!" Yukitaka chuckled out, returning the warm hug his friend was giving. Rain pelted on their heads, drenching them completely wet as they continued to embrace each other. 

"You're not safe in Nokoshomura." They pulled away after a while of hugging. "Yuki, will you be going home too?" 

The prince's eyes were sad and sullen, staring at the merchant. 

"Nah, I'm not!" He chuckles, rubbing the prince's wet hair. "I'm staying here~" 

"Then, you can stay at my palace! It's safer there!" Hinata exclaims, eyes brimming with excitement. 

Before they could gush more, a certain knight glowers at them, arms crossed against his chest as his hair dripped with rain water. 

"Are you done being dramatic?" He growls out, annoyed. "If you are, let's get out of this rain, then." 

The two only hmph at the knight, wrapping their arms around each others waists before they harrumph going to Hinata's palace.

The knight only rolls his eyes, sighing at their childishness as he followed behind the two obediently.

It was surprisingly peaceful walking home amidst the noise of the commoners, the two omega best friends walking hand in hand back to the palace. The rain was weakening, the the troubled grey sky finally starting to clear up. 

Droplets of water slid down their faces, Hinata deciding to shake his head violently to dry his hair a bit. 

When they arrived at the Hyacinth Palace, the sky was almost completely blue, the sun exposed and glaring down at them.

Kageyama opens the gate for them, Shimizu quickly running towards them, handing over towels to dry themselves. 

"Nee, Kageyama." In the middle of drying their hair on the engawa, Hinata had his hands behind his back, staring up at the knight with expectant eyes. 

'This isn't good...' Kageyama thought, squinting at the suspicious prince before turning his back at him. The prince only steps in front of him, eyes glimmering in hope and mischief. 

"Kageyama. You can't avoid me. I'm your master." He said in a deadpan voice, his stare piercing through the knight who clicked his tongue. 

"... Tch." He faced the prince, crossing his arms over his chest. He had a point. "What is it now?" 

"Well, uh..." He twiddles his fingers, puckering his lips. "A lot of concubines have been targeted lately.... And I uh, I want to learn how to defend myself." 

Kageyama states at the prince and his friend in confusion, raising an eyebrow. Yukitaka only shrugged. He also didn't know what Hinata was thinking about.

"So, Kageyama..... Please teach me how to wield the sword!!!!" 

The knight takes one baffled look at the prince before he whips around to walk away, completely ignoring the prince, who runs after him and clings onto his bicep. 

Kageyama was grumbling, trying to shake Hinata off who clung like a leech."Fuck off." 

Hinata, who was still clinging on him and dragging his legs around, shook his head violently, whining. "Come on!! Come on!!! Teach me how to wield the sword, I want to get stronger!!! Pleaaaaaaaasseeeeee—" 

The knight smacks the top of the prince's head. "Tch, fine! Now get off me!" 

♚♚♚

After Hinata practiced the whole afternoon yesterday, he played around with Yukitaka until he needed to sleep.

He was awfully tired, waking up to a grey, cold morning as he stretched his limbs, feeling lethargic. 

Groaning, his hand reached behind his back, pressing gently. His whole body was aching in pain. 

He could hear Yukitaka chatting outside the window with the maids, telling funny jokes to pass time. 

"Good morning, Imperial Prince." Shimizu greeted him, entering the room as she shut the windows tightly, locking them close. "It's a cold morning today, I shall steep gyokuro tea to soothe your body and warm you up." 

Hinata yawns, smiling sleepily at Shimizu. "Thank you, Shimizu-san." 

Moments after she excused herself from the room, the emperor arrives, casually walking inside. Hinata was still in bed, sitting up and staring out the closed window. October was coming to an end, so it was definitely turning cooler to prepare for winter. 

"Good morning." Atsumu says, heading straight towards the prince who was still out of it. He hugs the prince, burying his nose deep into the crook of his neck before breathing in his scent religiously. 

Blinking several times, he hugs the emperor back, fixing his dropping yukatabira sleeve. "Good morning, Atsumu-san. How are you doing today?"

Atsumu sighs, rubbing his cheek against Hinata's face. "I feel terrible. I've been forced to open the gates of the empire and send the commoners home. Nokoshomura is barren, no merchant or commoner left in their respective palaces."

The prince pats his back sympathetically. "Are you escaping from work again?" 

Smiling mischievously, the emperor draws back, still hugging the prince. "You know me well. I only passed by to take a breather and warn you." 

"Hm?" Hinata tilts his head in confusion. "Warn me about what, Atsumu-san?" 

Atsumu stares at him with soft eyes, tucking Hinata's stray hairs behind his ears. "Warn you to be vigilant and on your toes everyday. The Kodai is moving quickly, and we're using a lot of our knights to protect the Ooku Palace. I want youto be safe. Don't go out at night, okay?"

Hinata averts his eyes, feeling nervous as the emperor started to stare at him continuously with piercing eyes. 

"Don't go out at night, Hinata." He repeated himself, still staring. "Or should I just mark you instead so you would me?" 

Hinata grimaces, instinctively covering his bare nape, blushing. "Don't say that, Emperor. You can't do that." 

Atsumu chuckles, smushing Hinata to his chest as he sighed. "You're like a warm pot of tea. It's very calming to hug you."

Suddenly, they hear stomps from the end of the hallway, slowly travelling towards the chambers of the prince. 

"Uh oh!" Atsumu blurts out. "Hinata, quickly, turn your head!" 

Out of panic, Hinata turns his head to the side, Atsumu immediately licking and pressing his mouth on the side of his neck and kissing it before jumping up and running out the room. 

"Wha..." He opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish, flushing beet red. "What was thaaaaaat....?!?!"

Shimizu enters a few moments after Atsumu left, calmly holding a tea pot and pouring tea. She had a soft, triumphant smile on her face. 

"Shimizu-san, how come you only came now?! I thought I needed tea to stay warm?!" He cried out, hiding himself under the covers out of embarrassment. Shimizu chuckles softly. 

"You seem quite warm now, Prince. Did the Emperor warm you up?" She had a gentle, teasing smile on her face that made Hinata turn even redder that before. 

"Shimizu!!!" He whined, pouting as he stuck his head out of the covers. "Stop that!" 

"Oh Prince, come and drink your tea quickly, you need to change into thicker clothes to warm up quickly." Shimizu states, teasing the red prince even further. 

"Shimizu-san, you meanie!!!" 

♚♚♚

After going through Shimizu's teasing, changing and all, he was all set and ready to surprise visit Kenma. 

Yukitaka went back to the commoner's palace, Nokoshomura, saying he was going to pick up clothes from his place. 

Kageyama and Hinata depart, the air around them feeling thick and awkward. They both were quiet, Kageyama not even looking towards Hinata's direction. 

Hinata's brows furrowed, his forehead creasing as he frowned. 

Kageyama was acting weird. Was he in his rut? That couldn't be it. After all, he wouldn't be escorting him right now if he was experiencing his rut. 

Was he sick then? Was that why he wasn't talking to Hinata? 

It felt empty and desolate. Kageyama has been protecting Hinata since they were ten, so naturally they grew up together. All their days were filled with noise, laughter and bickering, never a quiet day. 

But now, Kageyama's back felt distant, like even if Hinata reaches out to him he we always be a step too far from him. 

It was scaring him, this distance. 

So close, yet so far. 

Why did Kageyama's back feel so cold? 

The prince stops walking, suddenly hugging the knight from behind. It wasn't an affectionate hug but a desperate and confused hug. 

He gripped the knight's body tightly. "Why won't you talk to me? It's been a week since you've been distant from me! Can't you tell me what's wrong?" 

Kageyama removes Hinata's arms from his waist, clicking his tongue. "Stop it." 

The prince growls lowly, keeping his arms around the knight's waist. "Stop it? What do you mean, stop it?" He lets go, stepping in front of the knight to stare at his eyes. 

The latter only avoided it. "You're not even looking at me right now!!" 

The knight stays silent, his head bowed down as he struggled to control his breath. He didn't want to look at Hinata right now. 

"Stupid!" The prince pounds the knight's chest with his fists angrily. "Tell me, did I do anything wrong?!" 

"Stop it. Don't go near me!" Kageyama barks out, pushing Hinata away. He steps back, adding distance between the two of them. That angered Hinata more.

Hinata was confused and pissed. He didn't remember doing anything to the knight that would anger him this much, so what was wrong? "Why can't I go near you?!" 

Kageyama glares at the prince with an incredulous look, moving farther away from the prince. "You smell disgusting!" 

"Eh?" Hinata felt his brain stop working and malfunction. Did he hear it right? He smelled disgusting? He was being avoided because he smelled disgusting???? 

He took a bath today, though???? 

"What the hell do you mean disgusting? Are you seriously saying you've been avoiding me for that childish reason?!" He flings himself on Kageyama, clinging onto him like a leech. "This stinky prince is hugging you right now!" 

Hinata felt his chest ache in embarrassment. He felt stupid, being avoided for such a petty reason. 

"Get away!" The knight struggles relentlessly, pushing away the prince with more force this time. "You smell like that madman emperor! He scented you, didn't he?" 

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean—" 

Kageyama scoffs, smiling bitterly. "Really now? You don't know? Weeks ago you would cry to me for getting assaulted, now you're prancing around smelling like that psycho?" 

The prince's eyes filled with confusion, wide and filled with questions. "Kageyama, I don't under—" 

"Did you enjoy it? Did you secretly like the emperor's advances?" He growls out, approaching Hinata. His hand gropes the latter's thigh, rubbing up and down. "If I touch you like this, would you like it?" 

The color in Hinata's face drains out, horror and pure fear kicking in. He felt like he was about to be violated again. 

"How dare you!" His instincts told him to protect himself, and so he did. His hand comes in contact with the knight's face, the slap echoing in the empty hallway. "You.. You're despicable. I hate you." 

Hinata turns around and runs off, tears brimming in his eyes as his cheeks flushed red in astonishment. His knight, as foul-mouthed as he is, was always a gentleman with his hands. He wasn't like other alphas treating omegas like they were property, like they could touch them anytime. 

Now, he was starting to feel like those other alphas. 

It was all unbelievably stupid. Kageyama was avoiding him for a reason he didn't understand. 

Rubbing away his tears violently, he bit down on his lip until it bled, bursting through the gates of Kenma's palace, which startled the maids who were waiting behind Kenma, who was sitting on the engawa drinking tea. 

"Shouyo?" His blank eyes suddenly light up, placing his tea cup down on the side. He welcomes the Kinryu prince with open arms, embracing him. Kenma kisses Hinata's cheek, smoothing his hand down the prince's back to soothe him. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" 

Kenma suddenly starts to sniff around Hinata's neck, frowning before he held his friend at an arm's length. 

He stares at his clueless friend, breathing out loudly. "Disgusting. Take a bath. You smell like the emperor." 

"Huh?? What do you meaan?" Hinata drawled out, still clueless about what he was talking about. Kageyama also said that he smelled like the emperor... 

Kenma grimaces deeply, holding Hinata under the armpits as if he didn't want to be touching him right now."You must have a broken nose. You smell like the emperor. Shouyo, tell me honestly. Did he do anything to you?" 

"Uh... Yes??" He replied, still puzzled. The emperor only... 

His face turns red in embarrassment as he remembered what happened awhile ago. 

The Koryu prince's eyes widen, feeling like he was about to panic. "Shouyo. Shouyo. What did he do to you?" His voice was uneven, wavering. 

"He.." Hinata was embarrassed to tell, but he could see that Kenma was determined to know. Plus, he was panicking. "He locked and kissed my neck...." 

Kenma's expression turns dark, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fist. "He must have rubbed his pheromones on you. Claiming you as property. That bastard..." 

"He WHAT?!" Hinata's eyes widen in surprise. It made sense now. The emperor pressed his scent in, essentially calling him his property. Hinata didn't like that. "Kenma, can I take a bath here?!" 

The blonde prince smiles gently, breathing a sigh of relief. It was good that Hinata knew that smelling like the emperor was problematic. "Sure, sure. Can I join?" 

"Ehhh, okay." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~~
> 
> My online class is starting this Monday, so I thought I might post my update schedule here. 
> 
> I will be updating every 2-3 days, most likely every 3 days since I also have work not just classes.
> 
> Also, I made a discord server! Anyone who wants to join to interact with me or talk to new people about your favorite animes, mangas, etc, feel free to join!
> 
> Permanent invite link: https://discord.gg/Ad2pmnz
> 
> Thank you for supporting The Male Empress!! 💓
> 
> ===
> 
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed
> 
> ===


	17. Fairy in a Cage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I'm back!!
> 
> I apologize if I took so long qwq I made the chapter longer so I hope you enjoy!

♚♚♚

The breeze turned cool, the wind rising as the trees danced along. The orange and red colors of the sunset mix like ink in water, slowly being blanketed by a dark blue. 

Hinata and Yukitaka decided to sleep over at Kenma's palace, wanting to spend more time with each other. 

Kenma was starting to become busier by the day, getting preoccupied with his medical classes. This was his only vacant time, so the two wanted to make the best of it as much as possible. 

But right now, they were in the middle of a crisis.

Yukitaka and Kenma sat cross-legged on the bedroom floor, arms folded on their chest. They both were staring each other down, none backing off. Hinata was in the middle, awkwardly glancing between the two. 

"Hinata is sleeping with me!" Yukitaka grabbed Hinata by the collar, dragging him across the floor to Yukitaka's side of the room. He clings on the orange-haired prince, glaring daggers at Kenma who was calmly observing them. 

The blonde prince uncrosses his arms, standing up as he trudged over to their side. His strides were big, closing the gap between them quickly. 

Slowly, Yukitaka inched backwards, still holding onto Hinata like precious cargo. His arms were wrapped around the prince's small body tightly, staring at Kenma who was looming down at the two. 

"Shouyo." He smiled as soft as a feather, laying his hand out. "Come here." 

"Hey!!" The merchant slapped the Koryu prince's hand, hissing. He was acting like a cat protecting territory. "Hinata's staying with me!!" 

The blonde prince clicks his tongue in annoyance, grimacing. His arms folded over his chest again, foot tapping the wooden floor impatiently. 

"My palace, my rules. Shouyo is sleeping with me." 

His eyes narrowed into slits, eyes burning with annoyance. Both of them looked like they were about to quarrel, so Shouyo quickly intervened. 

"Uhm, guys...?" He started, "Can't I just sleep between you two?" 

The two thought for a while before their faces lit up. 

Smiling softly, he pats Hinata's head. "That's a smart idea, Shouyo. Good job." They were like pet and master with how Kenma praised Hinata. 

All three moved to the bed, Kenma and Yukitaka wrapping their arms around the orange-haired prince possessively. 

Just like a ham sandwich, the prince was smushed in between both his friends. 

"Hey! How come he's facing your side?!" 

"Shut up and sleep." 

"No fair! How come he's only hugging you?!" 

"My bed, my rules!" 

This was going to be a long night. 

♚♚♚

"Oikawa-san? Oikawa-san!!" Hanamaki yells out, his hands convexed around his mouth. He used his hands to enhance his voice, spreading it farther in hopes it reached the ears of his master. 

Not like his master would care, though. 

Shivering, Hanamaki blew on his ice cold hands, rubbing them together to generate temporary heat. Oikawa, as usual, was gone and nowhere to be found. He was able to slip out once again. 

"Is he a ninja? How can he escape from me, the Co-Commander of the Emerald Knights?" He sighs out, kicking at the pebbles as he walked in the Ooku garden. "Maybe I should just tie him to the bed when it's time for him to sleep, or knock him out cold...." 

A hand on his chin, he thought deeply with his eyes closed, before he chuckles and shakes his head. "No, no. I shouldn't do that, he's still my master, and an Archduke at that." 

"What are you doing, talking to yourself in the middle of the night?" A voice quips from the side, startling the beta knight. He yelps, hands flinging out in a fist, his stance showing he was ready to fight. 

Matsukawa snorts, an amused smile on his lips as he held Hanamaki's fist, lowering it gently. "Careful there. What are you doing out here so late? You could be accused as one of the Kodai if you keep talking to yourself like that." 

"... Ah." He snaps back to reality, flushing deep red in embarrassment as he pulled away his fist. He probably looked crazy talking to the air. "Sorry. I was just ranting to myself. That idio— Ahem, Archduke Oikawa, is missing again." 

The alpha stared at him with gleaming eyes before a crooked grin, crossing his arms. "There isn't a day where I don't bump into you when you're looking for him." 

Hanamaki sighs, scratching his head in annoyance. "What can I do? He keeps sneaking out right under my nose. Maybe I really should tie him to bed..."

"I'm sure he sneaks out for a reason." Matsukawa says, staring at the knight's face. His pinkish-brown hair glinted softly under the moonlight, wisps flowing in the wind. His neck was exposed since he was only wearing his under kimono, revealing a very alluring neckline. 

And that scent. Oh, that scent. 

It could drive an alpha wild. Matsukawa felt glad he was the only one who was able to discover it. 

Although his smell was so pure and uncovered, so it was odd that no one except him has noticed it. 

More for him, though. 

Hanamaki, who felt like he was getting roasted under Matsukawa's gaze, awkwardly shuffled his feet, rubbing behind his ear. It was a habit he couldn't get rid of when he was stressed. "He's been doing it since he legally received the title of Archduke. He only does it to annoy me and to hide from his teachers." 

"Well, he definitely sneaks out for a reason now. I saw him with Iwaizumi-san fifteen minutes ago." A loud gasp escapes the knight's lips, his brows furrowing as a frown placed itself on his forehead. 

"You saw him?" He blurts out, suddenly glaring openly at the alpha who continued to stare at him with strong eyes. "You should have told me earlier! I could have dragged him back to the palace moments ago." 

He harrumphs, turning around to leave before his wrist gets caught in the investigator's grasp. 

Eyes squinted, he shoots a dirty look at the alpha. "Would you please stop and let go?" He growls through gritted teeth, trying to stay as polite as possible. 

'Calm down, Takahiro. We're in Seiryu, we can't just punch anyone here.' He breaths out slowly, tugging his hand away as he forced himself to give an eye smile. 

"I apologize. I'm sensitive right now because I'm worried for my master." 

Of course, those were lies. Hanamaki couldn't wait to drag Oikawa back to their palace and maybe even pinch all over his body really hard. That guy never learns. 

"I advise you leave them alone for now. I'm quite sure they're getting physical under the sheets." A smooth chuckle exits Matsukawa's lips, who takes a full look at Hanamaki. His gaze looked like a predator who was sizing up its prey. "What if we also got physical?" 

The beta's mind suddenly blanks out, like a system that shut down. He couldn't believe and process what he just heard.

He wanted to what????? 

"E-Excuse me?" He blurts out in surprise, baffled. Was this man in the right mind?

He definitely seemed like he wasn't. 

Matsukawa approached him, making the beta back up. His back hits the cold pillar, the alpha's arms trapping him like a song bird in a cage. "I'm serious. Your scent is too alluring to ignore. It's as if we're.... fated." 

"Is your screwed head on straight???" Hanamaki grouses out, frowning even deeper at the investigator who continued to stare at him intensely. "I'm a beta! Now, can you please move so I can leave?" 

"I don't care if you're a beta." He touches the knight's cheek gently. "I'm fine with you as you are. Who cares if you're a beta?" 

Hanamaki's face suddenly turns red, flustered down to the bone. If this was another person telling him this, he would most definitely ignore it or get mad. But why was it that he wasn't even reacting violently to his cheesy words?

Matsukawa's hand was still on his cheek. His gaze was seriour, like he meant every single word he said. 

The knight turns even redder, and out of embarrassment and panic, his hand shoots out and slaps the investigator clean across the face. "Shameless freak!!"

He pushes past the alpha's arms, storming away as the latter chuckled, holding his stinging cheek while he leaned on the pillar. "Oikawa-san went the other way, you know?"

Hanamaki stops in his tracks and whips his head back, his cheeks slightly puffed as he bit his lower lip. He looked angry and embarrassed. 

"Ugh, fuck! I forgot Oikawa!"

♚♚♚

A week passed by smoothly, no dangerous events happening. It was unusually quiet, which was rare for the citizens of Seiryu Empire, especially for the concubines' palace. 

A tall, dark haired alpha rises from his bed, his side feeling cold. His mate wasn't beside him, which was concerning. Where did he go? Did he leave? Did he escape? 

"Kei? Kei, where are you?" Kuroo panics and hurriedly slides off the bed, tripping over the duvet that was twisted around his body. Tsukishima, who was wearing only a thin white sleeping kimono, turns his head to stare at the chaotic commander blankly then went back to watching nature. His slender arms were laying on top of the balcony's railing, his weight leaning over to gaze at the scenery. 

It was foggy, the palaces in the distance being overtaken by white. 

Kuroo's palace was big, since he was the Commander of the Azure Knights. The garden in front was elegant and neat, simple but extravagant in its own way. 

"Kei? You scared me. I thought you left." Kuroo huffs out, pulling the tangled covers off him before heading over to kiss Tsukishima on the lips. 

While the commander's lips were on him, Kei kept his eyes open, observing the dip of his nose, the arch of his brows, the curl of his eye lashes. 

'Kuroo-san looks better in red.' he thought, still observing Kuroo. 'If he stayed with Kozume-san, he wouldn't need to wear azure everyday.' 

Kuroo suddenly pulls away, his eyes meeting Kei's. They were serious. "Kei. Is there something wrong? Tell me so I can fix it." 

"Nothing is wrong, Kuroo-san. I was only thinking of unnecessary things." He replied curtly, turning his back at the commander who hugs his back and rubs his face on the omega's cheek. 

"Are you sure? Are you sure you don't go to the balcony because you feel stressed?" His tone was anxious, his feet tapping repeatedly on the floor. Kei should feel comfortable here. 

Tsukishima turns around again to stare at him. "Why are you asking that? Dou you think I feel stressed here, Kuroo-san?" 

Kuroo was taken aback by surprise. Kei never really raised his voice... "I was just wondering, Kei..." 

"To answer your question, yes, I am stressed." The omega starts, his golden-rimmed spectacles glinting under the muddy sun covered by grey clouds. A chilly breeze brushes past them, causing their skin to prickle. "Kuroo-san, you knew, didn't you?" 

"Kei..." He was at a loss for words. 

"You knew I wanted to go back out, didn't you?" Tsukishima's usually gentle voice was becoming stern. 

Kuroo had a crestfallen look on his face, reaching out to embrace the omega tightly. His hand held the latter's head, patting his back. "I'm sorry, Kei. But you can't go out. It's too dangerous." 

"I have to go and meet my prince. He must be looking for me."

"YOU CAN'T!" Kuroo yells out, his teeth gritted tightly. His jaw was tight, nostrils flaring as he stared down at the omega with dark eyes. "It's too dangerous."

"So now you're using your pheromones to make me obey?" Kei chuckles. "You treat me too much like a lapdog. You can't trap me in here forever."

A knock on the door breaks the intense staredown between them. Kuroo's eyes soften, sighing. 

"Kei... You won't understand..." His voice was gentle, heart squeezing in regret that he raised his voice at his mate. He was supposed to treat him like royalty, not yell at him. 

Kuroo didn't want to repeat what his father did to his mother. 

That's why he wanted to keep him as safe as possible. 

"Commander, you have a meeting to attend..." The person behind the door knocks once again, this time louder. 

Tsukishima forces an eye smile, gently placing his hand on the commander's cheek. 

"Go." He says, turning around once again to lean on the balcony. 

"Kei..." The alpha trailed off, sad and guilty that Kei didn't like staying in their home. 

"It's fine. Just go." His back felt lone and cold to the alpha. He was shutting out people again, just like the first time they met. He was putting up a wall. 

Solemnly, he pulls away, glancing one more time at Tsukishima before walking towards the door. 

"Prepare my clothes. We'll go after I change."

♚♚♚

Though the morning was cold, Matsukawa walking leisurely towards the meeting room, almost whistling out of happiness. 

Fate seemed to favor Hanamaki and him, because they kept meeting in places they never knew they would meet. This meant that they spent more time together, just talking. 

Sometimes, when they would coincidentally meet at night, Hanamaki would give up looking for Oikawa and would vent to Matsukawa, who would listen diligently and comfort him. 

The investigator grins widely to himself, coughing to camouflage his giddiness. 

Once he arrived at the meeting room, the Kazoku stared at him. It was unusual for him to have such a clean aura, he usually felt dark and tired. 

"You seem happy today, Matsukawa-san." Ushijima quips, sipping his morning tencha tea. Everyone was drinking hot tea in the room, apart from Shirabu who was holding tightly onto a mug of coffee as if it was his life line. 

"Heh, really?" He chuckles smoothly, trying hard to hold back his cheesy grin. "It's because I saw my favorite person again today." 

"If you've found your favorite person, why not just make them your mate?" The strategist replies seriously, which made Matsukawa think to himself. 

Why not? 

He chuckles again. "Why not? Maybe I should." 

The emperor suddenly bursts in the room, a dark atmosphere surrounding him. The Kazoku hurried to stand up to greet him, but he raised his hand to tell them to stop.

Advisor Osamu followed behind the emperor, holding a pile of paper in his hands, jaws tight. He looked as pissed as the emperor. 

"Is everyone complete?" The advisor asked, rubbing his temple as he situated himself behind the emperor who was sitting quietly on his seat. 

"Koganegawa-san is not here." Ushijima answers. 

Atsumu sighs deeply, pinching his nose bridge in annoyance. "We must start the meeting already. Someone go fetch Koganegawa." 

"Emperor, I'm afraid he won't be able to attend. His mate is pregnant, so they are celebrating right now." 

Hearing those words made Atsumu grit his teeth and clench his fist. 

How lucky. 

He got his mate pregnant. 

"Alright." Osamu sighs, laying the papers he was holding on the table. "Please relay the meeting notes to him after, Ushijima-san."

"Tch.." Atsumu grumbles under his breath. Maybe he should ask Hinata to become his Empress now. Then he could get pregnant too. 

Or maybe he should make him pregnant already? 

'No, that'll make Hinata hate me again.' He sighs at his possessive thoughts and rubs his temples again. 

"Whatever. We shall start now." The atmosphere suddenly becomes heavier, weighing down on the whole room like an anvil. It was the emperor's pheromones that weighed on them, heavy on the shoulders and chest. They could all feel how stressed he was. "The past week, the Imperial Palace has been quiet with no events happening. We let our guard down. Commander Kuroo, tell them your report." 

"Of course, Emperor." Kuroo clears his throat. "The Kodai have actually killed more of the concubines. But instead of leaving them in their palaces, they shifted to hiding the bodies in our food cellar. All of the meat we stocked for winter is now rotten and being eaten by the maggots."

The whole room goes silent. Seiryu may be abundant with seafood livestock, but they weren't abundant with land livestock. It was hard to take care of veal, pork and other meats in the empire, which is why they would stock up during autumn to prepare for winter. 

And now, almost half of the Imperial Palace's meat stock have been infected. 

"Not only do they keep killing off our guest citizens, they were petty enough to plague our food cellars." The emperor seethed through gritted teeth, eyes darkening. "Commander Kuroo, what is taking you so long to find those rats?!" 

Kuroo bows his head. "I am ashamed to meet your eyes, Emperor. We still have not found any leads."

"And you, Investigator Matsukawa?" Atsumu asked, rubbing his face in annoyance. Nothing was going his way. 

"I apologize, Emperor. I, too, have not found any leads." Matsukawa grits his teeth and bows his head in shame. 

"When will you lot become useful?" Atsumu growls out. "We're the second strongest empire for what? For decoration? Do you intent to keep them on the run, hidden forever?" 

The room was overtaken with silence. They couldn't reply at all. 

"Emperor." Osamu breaks the silence. "I have found a list of the old members of the Kodai." 

"Finally." Atsumu drawls out. "Finally, we have good news. Commander Kuroo, take that list and find anyone with the surnames listed below. Interrogate them with Investigator Matsukawa and your knights."

The emperor turns to face Ushijima. "Strategist Ushijima, find a more effective guarding strategy. Doctor Shirabu, continue doing your work. Co-Commander Iwaizumi, train the knights with General Koganegawa."

"Understood, Emperor."

"Advisor Osamu, I want you to announce the existence of the Kodai to the concubine nobles. Tell them to be careful." He sighs again, leaning back in his seat. So early in the morning and he was already getting stressed. 

"I understand, Emperor. I shall announce it afterwards." The advisor bows at the emperor deeply. 

"For now, meeting adjourned. I have to go find a way to fix our meat stock problem." 

♚♚♚

"It's all in place, isn't it?" A man in a black kimono asks, facing a large window that overlooked a barren land. Fog covered the outside, making it impossible to see anything in the distance. 

The place was dark and dreary, no lamps lit. The only source of light was the muddled sunlight coming from the big window. 

It was only morning, but the darkness of the place made it look like it was evening. 

"Yes, Master." A person kneels down beside the man in black, holding onto his hand and placing it on his cheek. "I did well, didn't I? Will you praise me?" 

The man rubs the person's cheek, like he was praising a pet. "Good job, Yuta. You did well." 

The person called Yuta holds on to the man's hand and smiles up at him gently. 

"I have one more task, Yuta. Send a messenger to Koryu Empire. We will proceed with our plan." Yuta nods and stands up, bowing at his master. 

"I understand, Master. I shall do it now." He leaves quickly, eager to take on the new task he was give. 

The man was left alone in the dark room, still standing in front of the window. He chuckles to himself. 

"After all these years... Heh, I'll finally see the downfall of this country." He chuckles even more, grinning madly to himself. 

"Just wait, Miya Atsumu. I'll take revenge for everyone you and your father took from me. I'll start from your concubines and brother, to the one who you'll make Empress."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii again qqqqwqqqq
> 
> I apologize for taking so long, my online clases started 2 weeks ago so I couldn't update at all since I was adjusting 😭😭
> 
> I also had work so yeah :(
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm finally able to update after 2 weeks, I'm so glad ToT
> 
> I will try to update more! I want to update more xD
> 
> Thank you for waiting for this update!
> 
> ===  
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	18. Atsumu's Thoughts of Possessiveness

♚♚♚

As the Emperor ordered, the security got even tighter and more strict. 

Now, no one could leave the Ooku Palace without a guard, and no one was allowed outside past 8 o' clock. Every nook and cranny had a knight standing by, which meant it was going to be undoubtedly harder for an assassin to slip through. 

It was the next morning, another fogged day, the nature around the palace being consumed by the white mist. November was creeping in, the month of October slowly coming to an end just like the season of autumn. It was almost time to bring out the stockpiled coal bricks from the coal cellar. 

Atsumu sighs, a small cloud of vapor forming from his warm breath. Winter was indeed coming, seeing as how cold the weather was turning. His skin pricked, goosebumps forming due to the thin clothing he wore after he bathed. Finally, he was done with work. Those pests, the Kodai, stooping so low that they decided to plague the cellars. He was quick to find a solution though, by using the stock of the corrupt nobles who decided to monopolize the livestock. 

He chuckles to himself, shaking his head in amusement as he dried his wet hair with a thick mizu cotton towel. It was funny, honestly, acting like such a good Emperor. 

"Osamu." He called out to his twin, who was organizing his documents on the study table a few meters away. "I'm done with work, right?"

The advisor turns around to stare at him, holding a pile of folders in his hands. "... Yes, you are. I take it that you will be visiting Prince Hinata today as well?"

Atsumu, who was shrugging on a dark blue silk haori that was embroidered with dragon scales, whistles in excitement. "Of course I am. I miss my future Empress." He had a proud look on his face as he dressed himself neatly.

As soon as those words slipped out of Atsumu's mouth, Osamu dropped the files haphazardly on the study table, gaping at the Emperor who was staring at him as if he didn't say anything wrong at all.

"Did your brain stop functioning?" The emperor asks with a confused look on his face, waving his hand in front of the advisor's face, who in turn slaps the hand away with a glare.

"Oh, you're still alive... Did I do something wrong?" He tilts his head, his hand gripping the bottom of his chin to signify he was thinking deeply. Osamu scoffs, baffled by how much of an idiot the emperor was.

Did he really not know what was wrong?

"You..." He sighs in annoyance, voice laced with irritation. He pinches the bridge of his nose, heaving out another heavy sigh. The emperor was too stupid, maybe they should crown a new one.. "You seriously don't know what's so wrong?"

The emperor raises his eyebrow, signifying his confusion. "Yes, I don't know what is wrong. Tell me, what is it?" He had his arms crossed, waiting for an explanation from his twin brother who sighs again in exasperation.

With dead serious eyes, Osamu met Atsumu's oculars. "You called Prince Hinata your future Empress." He pronounced each syllable with strong emphasis, trying to relay the underlying message. Alas, the idiot of an emperor still had his eyebrow raised and arms crossed at his chest, signifying the message flew right over his head like a free bird.

"And what about it?" He raised his eyebrow even higher, leaning against the hinoki study table. His haori creased at the elbow pit, the cloth being crimped together as he continued to stare at the advisor with a curious but annoyed look.

"You're being too impulsive with your decision." With a wrinkle between his brows, Osamu grouses out his reply, fixing the documents he accidentally dropped moments ago. He gathered them in his hands, using his palms to press them together to make a uniform batch. "Why don't you choose the Koryuan prince, Prince Kozume? He's the prince of the 3rd strongest empire, if he was crowned Empress, you could rise up to be the Emperor of the strongest empire. Do you not want that?"

"I do not want to crown an omega as cold and calculating as that thing." He replies in an impudent tone."I gave him to Kuroo, anyways, so why do you keep yapping about it? You won't like what happens next if you continue to provoke me like this."

Atsumu's irises were a dark shade of brown, an intimidating shadow looming over his whole face. His arms remained crossed the whole time, his stance radiating a dangerous aura. Osamu only harrumphs, rolling his eyes at his twin brother who was being overly possessive and overly dramatic.

"It was only a suggestion, since you love obtaining power. I'm not forcing you to take him as your Empress." A suspire left the advisor's mouth, his thumb and index finger rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Kuroo-san has marked another omega, so Prince Kozume is left alone."

Osamu's tone was suggestive, inciting a low, guttural growl from his brother. It was deep and threatening, as if it was warning him to not go over the line.

His hand gripped tightly at his elbow pits, nails digging into his skin as he held back from lashing out. What right did his brother have, who was his subordinate and aide, to tell him what to do and what to choose? "And so what if that prince is alone? That must mean he's useless and couldn't satisfy Kuroo's needs. I have no need for a useless toy. I can only have Hinata."

"You..." The advisor had a disgusted sneer on his face. "You are basically calling Prince Hinata a toy. Have you even spoke to him about your plans of making him Empress?"

The former scoffs. "I'm the Emperor. My word is absolute." he grins, as if proud of himself. "I shall discuss it with Hinata today. I am sure he will agree afterwards."

"I don't understand how our sweet Empress Mother gave birth to a psychopath like you..." Osamu shakes his head in disbelief. "You're basically disregarding Prince Hinata's choice. You are shackling him."

The emperor gave no response, only a glare. Their mother was taboo to talk about. He continued to lean back against the cypress table, eyes dark and full of anger.

"You're a piece of trash who doesn't know how to listen to your advisor, you know that?" With a tone of defeat, Advisor Osamu heaved another heavy sigh, glaring at his brother who smirked back at him.

"Yes, I know that very well." He chuckles sarcastically, smoothing out the creases in his sleeves until it was crisp again. "Now if you would excuse me, I have to go visit Hinata."

"Hope you trip and bash your head on a rock."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I really hope it."

♚♚♚

Atsumu, like a person with bipolarity, was now in a good mood, happy he could prove his point to his twin brother.

It was a rare feat, to be able to prove your point to someone so intellectually advanced.

Ever since they were younger, Osamu was intelligent. He was so intelligent that he became an Imperial Scholar at first try because he passed the test with flying colors.

And their mother, their dear Emperor Mother, who was as sweet as morning spring dew, who couldn't hurt a fly, hated him so. Emperor Mother would always take Osamu's side, and would scorn him.

Emperor Mother thought of him as a monster. 

He could remember her words clearly. Trembling before him, eyes full of hatred and contempt, holding onto Osamu as if she was protecting him from Atsumu.

"A psychopath, a monster, just like your father!" she had said, shutting him out of her life, only letting Osamu in.

But nothing was wrong with him, though?

Atsumu stares at the palm of his hand as he continued to walk towards his destination.

"I'm normal. Emperor Mother was the one who was batshit." He clenched his fist, gritting his teeth. "I'm normal, the same as Osamu. Emperor Mother just hated me because I was the stronger one, because I was favored by Emperor Father."

It was true.

To lead an empire, one must be strong. And to be the Crown Prince of a strong empire, you must be the strongest out of all siblings.

It was because Atsumu had the same mindset and ideals with his Emperor Father, and that he was the stronger twin, that he could gain favor.

He is not a monster.

He is not a psycopath.

"I'm normal." He mutters to himself, dropping the fist he's been staring at the whole time and walking briskly. His steps were wide and rushed, wanting to quickly arrive at the Hyacinth Palace.

The Hyacinth Palace fit Hinata. It was the previous Empress's quarters, and it will soon be officially his.

But that wasn't important right now. He needed to see Hinata.

With Hinata, he felt in peace. With Hinata, he felt calm, like the calmness he felt when his maid used to pat him to sleep.

Hinata was his safe haven, his sanctuary. Like a moth to a flame, the bright Hinata continuously attracted Atsumu.

Which is why no one else should have him. 

He bursts through the gate of Hyacinth Palace, his mood livened by the though of seeing Hinata. He was already sure of it; he was his fated mate. That Kinryuan omega prince was his, body, mind, and soul. 

"Good morning." He greeted the maid who was sweeping the left courtyard. Said maid panics and drops her broom to give a deep, respectful ninety-degree bow. "Where is Shimizu? Tell her to announce my arrival."

The maid quickly approaches, the panicked look still on her face. "I-Imperial E-Emperor, the thing i-is—" 

He raised his had at her face, shooting a sharp look which was silently telling her to shut up and follow the orders. "Tell her to announce my arrival. Do it quickly." 

The maid scurries away, dropping the broom she picked up just a few moments ago. 

"Hmph. Why is it so quiet today?" Atsumu wondered out loud, vapor forming from his warm breath. The wisteria flowers hanging from the wisteria tree were covered with permafrost, glistening like an amethyst jewel under the soft rays of the sun. The koi pond on the side was peaceful, water from a stream nearby continuously pouring through. 

The Hyacinth Palace. It used to be a palace he hated visiting.

When he first became Emperor of Seiryu, he hated having to visit this palace. His Emperor Father's will was for him to have offspring with the woman he was going to take in as Empress and wife. 

Hitoka Yachi was just one of the many concubines sent to him, someone he just chose on random. Osamu told him to choose wisely, but he wasn't even interested in women other than having sex with them, so what was the point? All he needed was an Empress who didn't speak her thoughts, who followed every order of his. 

Hitoka Yachi wasn't a fun one to be with, though. She avoided him like the plague, so he once tried to touch her. 

Well... She cried. What was left of his interest and curiosity diminished, earning his disfavor. 

Now, he was 23 and without a child and Empress. He felt like a disgrace to his ancestors, especially to his father. 

"Imperial Father, I am such a disgrace to all of the previous Emperors. I let my spouse escape." He enters the palace entrance while sighing, leaving his geta at the genkan. Maids who were casually cleaning the hallways suddenly scurry into a straight line, bowing at the Emperor who just strolled past them, not giving a glance. "Do not worry, though. I shall crown a new Empress soon and produce offspring."

Before he heads up the stairs, a disheveled Shimizu came running after him, giving a deep bow once she arrived. Her usually neat-tucked hair was drooping into a loose bun, her clothes wrinkled and crimped from running.

"What is it this time?" Atsumu grumbled out in annoyance, already irritated by the number of times he's been interrupted. Could he not just peacefully visit Hinata without any hindrance showing up?

"I.. I apologize, Imperial Emperor. The Imperial Prince is not in his sleeping quarters." Her voice wavered as she spoke, keeping her head bowed in front of Atsumu, who was now frowning and heading up the stairs briskly.

Where was he? Was this a joke? Was he trying to play a prank on him?

"Hinata, where are you?" He yelled out, his voice laced with concern. He headed straight for Hinata's bedroom, sliding the shoji door open, wishing he was there.

But alas, it was to no avail. Hinata was not in his quarters.

Shimizu, who was following behind quietly, was biting her lip in uneasiness, scared of what would happen next.

"Where is he?" He seethed out, gritting his teeth so strongly it could break. Hinata's scent lingered in the air, seeping into his nose like an aromatic smell.

Hinata should be here...

Shimizu shuffles in place, bowing deeply to appease his anger. "I sincerely apologize, Imperial Emperor. The Imperial Prince is sleeping in Prince Kozume's quarters..."

"Kozume.. That Prince Kozume?" He growled out, his fur feeling ruffled at the mention of Kenma's name.

That name again.

What was it with that person, that name?

Kozume Kenma, the Crown Prince of Koryu Empire.

He was someone Atsumu didn't like from the start.

Kenma felt like Osamu. He felt level-headed, keen, and very intelligent. Which means he was a calculating person.

And it looks like he was trying to steal Hinata away from him.

"E-Emperor..." Shimizu flinched as a tea pot flew right beside her cheek and smashed on the wall, steaming hot tea dripping from the walls.

Like blood flowing through veins, anger took over him, his alpha instincts making him rake through the whole room.

Hinata's chambers, from a neat, clean and beautifully-decorated room became a war zone. The usual quiet, calm Shimizu was panicking, trying to calm down the Emperor who was ripping through the room.

The chabudai was smashed in half, small pieces of wood splintering into branches.

The noren were ripped and hanging from a string, about to fall to the floor.

The potted plants that Hinata decorated with care were now smashed and spread across the floor, the soil littered everywhere. The flowers that once stood tall against the sun's warm rays were pale and lifeless on the floor.

The bed was torn apart, looking like a large beast went through it. Except this large beast was just the alpha side of Emperor Atsumu.

Shimizu, who looked like she was about to cry, was pulled back by Kageyama, who was holding his katana. "Stand back Shimizu-san, I will take care of this."

The frazzled maid nods and heads towards the door, observing the chaos ensuing with a worried look. Kageyama unsheathes his sword, pointing the sharpened edge at the neck of the Emperor. It was the most dangerous move to do; to point a weapon at the Emperor of such a strong empire. 

The Emperor stops, turning his head slowly to give a deadly glare that could fill hearts with fear. His alpha pheromones were saturating the air, weighing down on them like a chain blanket.

".... What are you doing?" Atsumu hisses out, a dark look on his face. His right hand gripped the sword pointed at his throat, the sharp edge puncturing through his skin and drawing blood.

"What are you doing?" Kageyama shoots the question back, glaring at the emperor defiantly   
"What are you doing?" Kageyama shoots the question back, glaring at the emperor defiantly. "What are you doing here, trashing Prince Hinata's room like you're having a tantrum?"

The emperor scoffs, smirking in a mocking way. His hand gripped the sword tighter, blood continuously pouring down his arm. "And why should I answer you?"

The knight's nostrils flared. "I'm his knight."

"And I'm the Emperor of this empire." He replies, clicking his tongue. "If you're trying to compare ranks here, you should know that the Emperor is absolute."

Kageyama's frown deepened, his brows furrowing. "Prince Hinata is not here. Leave now."

Atsumu growls, smacking down the katana which was pointed at his throat. "You have such a sharp tongue while being such a powerless idiot. Should I just cut it out?"

"I am here to protect my master and his belongings. You can't destroy his things and get away with it!"

"Oh dear!" Shimizu gasps out, hurrying to pull Kageyama away from Atsumu. "My Emperor! I sincerely apologize. I shall lead the way to Prince Kozume's palace."

"Shimizu!" Kageyama yelled out, earning a glare from Atsumu.

"Stop it, pest. Are you, a mere knight, trying to stop me from visiting my concubine?" He growls out, accepting the bandage roll Shimizu hurriedly handed to him.

Kageyama gave no reply.

"That's what I thought. Now, lead the way, Shimizu."

♚♚♚

Hinata awoke to a gentle touch, his eyelids fluttering open gently. He comes face to face with Kenma, who was smiling at him softly while rubbing his cheek.

"Good morning, Shouyo." He mumbles out, earning a large grin from the former.

"Morning, Kenma!" Hinata chirps out, stretching his arms out like a cat. He cranes his neck, checking behind Kenma. "Where's Yuki?"

Kenma wraps his arm around Hinata, snuggling close. Hinata was very warm, acting like a heating pad during this cold weather. "He went down to eat breakfast already."

"Why didn't you wake me?" The orange-haired prince pouts, his lower lip jutting out. The blonde prince only chuckles and pats Hinata's head.

"You were sleeping so soundly so—" The shoji doors suddenly slam open, heavy footsteps trudging in the room. Kenma's first instinct was to pull Hinata's head to his chest, as if protecting him and preventing him from seeing who just barged in the bedroom.

"... What is this?" Hinata heard Kenma ask, his voice vibrating through his chest. He could hear his heart beat spike, getting faster. Kenma's hand was cool, holding his head close to his chest.

"Kenma? What's happening?" The prince asked, attempting to look up but to no avail. He was being restricted from seeing whoever went in.

"Hand Hinata over." A baritone voice growled out. He could hear shuffling in the room, the footsteps coming closer until it was by the foot of the bed.

"Hinata." The voice was now by his head, a smooth, deep voice that he was familiar with.

It was a voice he knew really well. A voice he could recognize in his sleep.

"Atsumu-san?" He questions out loud, a smile suddenly being painted on his lips. Kenma's hold on him felt like it was getting tighter, but Hinata only pulled away to roll around the other side.

It was indeed Miya Atsumu.

"What are you doing here?" Atsumu asked, laying his hand out for Hinata to take. The latter places his hand in the former's palm, gripping it gently as he used it to support himself while he stood up.

"Hinata..." Kenma trailed off, sitting up the bed.

He glances across the room. Shimizu and Kageyama stood at the door. Shimizu was holding bloody bandages, while Kageyama's sheathe was bloody.

In a split-second, Hinata takes Atsumu's hand and checks it, only to find a large wound.

The wound was long and ran across his whole palm, still bleeding everytime his heart pulsed.

"What happened to your hand?!" In a panicked fret, Hinata glanced between Atsumu and Kageyama, who seemed to have animosity brewing in between them.

"This is nothing." The emperor smiled at him, pulling away his hand which was gripped firmly by Hinata. He had a frown on his face, his gaze directed at Kageyama.

"What did you do to him?!" He yelled out, rushing towards Kageyama. He unsheathed the sword, revealing the blood drying on the blade. 

His face paled, all the color draining. His trusted knight, Kageyama, just hurt the Emperor of Seiryu. The Emperor of Seiryu Empire, the second strongest empire in the whole of Ryu Continent. This could be considered as treachery, since Atsumu trusted them enough to allow their personal knights here, despite having enough power to assign them their own knights. 

Kageyama's face formed into a sneer, slapping Hinata's hand off the handle of the sword and sheathing it back again. "I was only protecting the palace."

"You didn't have to hurt him!"

"I said I was protecting the palace!" Kageyama's yell was deafening, making the entire room go deathly quiet. It was as like time had stopped; no one moved, no one spoke. 

Hinata took a step back, his face scrunching into a pained frown. Each beat of his heart felt like it was being squeezed like a wet rag. "Is this how you're going to be?"

The knight said nothing but remained staring at the orange-haired prince. 

"Fine then." He huffed out, going to Atsumu's side. "Atsumu-san we need to get Shirabu-san to disinfect your wound..." 

Before they left, Atsumu glances at Kageyama, a triumphant smirk plastered on his lips. 

"I won." He mouths out, disappearing with Hinata down the stairs. 

♚♚♚

It was the dead of the night. No one was out and about, prancing anywhere like usual. The rules were not enforced like a martial law; anyone who defied the rules would be fined and jailed. At worse, they could be considered as one of the kodai. 

It was for their own good, anyways. 

The clock tower strikes 12, signifying midnight has arrived. 

Kuroo shivers, rubbing his hands together as he blew his breath on his palms. The night was desolate and chilly, resembling a cold, winter night. 

Commander Kuroo was tasked to scout the Ooku Palace, to check if the knights on guard were doing their jobs properly. He was lazy, but it was a job the emperor tasked him to do. If he didn't do it properly, he'd probably have his head sliced off. 

A yawn exits his mouth, sighing out in fatigue as he patrolled the hallways. All the knights standing on guard salute at him, showing respect to their Commander. 

He was tired, drained of energy. He thinks its probably because Kei and him got it off the whole night again. 

As he walked slowly in the hallways, he comes across the heart of the Ooku Palace; the garden. Under the white moonlight, the blue jacaranda tree shone beautifully like a tree of jewels. 

This was the first place he met Tsukishima Kei. 

A gentle smile grew on his lips, his gaze turning soft as he reminisced the memories he had with Kei. 

He knew Kei didn't like him at first. Hell, he could see how disinterested he was with talking to him. It was a miracle that Kei decided to visit his chambers that day. 

It was if they clicked. Like two puzzle pieces, they fit together the first time they joined bodies. 

"Heh. I told you we were fated, Kei." He chuckled to himself, gazing far at the garden when he suddenly hears a crunch. It came from the jacaranda tree.

Instantly, Kuroo takes a stance, looking at the top of the the tree. There they were; a person, wearing all black, a mask covering their face. It looks like they even had eye contact.

The masked person became alarmed and suddenly took out a bow, shooting an arrow right at him, which he slices in half with the sword he quickly unsheathed. 

"Azure Knights! Two o'clock from north!" The commander yelled out loudly, chasing after the masked person who sprints away. He throws a bottle containing poisonous smoke. As soon as the bottle hit the ground, it explodes, spreading the fumes across the whole garden. 

"Fuck...!" He growled out, pissed that he had to stop and move back for a moment. The knights were finally gathering, coming from all directions. "Knights! Use your swords to blow away the fumes!"

Kuroo grips the base of his katana tightly, swinging and twirling it around to blow the smoke away. The strength of the centrifugal force he used cleared the pathway, allowing the knights to pass through without getting their lungs poisoned. 

The commander started to run, pulling himself up on the roofs of the houses to quickly sight the kodai who was on the run. 

"Gotcha."

In one swift move, he jumps off the roof and slams his feet into the back of the kodai, landing on his shoulder blades. The impact of the jump was so strong, that along with his weight, he crushed the person's bones. He heard the satisfying crunch of bones dislocating from their sockets, followed by a ghastly scream.

"Anything you want to confess? Perhaps, your headquarters and your leader?" He asks, still standing on top of the person's back.

"Ghhh...!!!" The person gurgled, fighting the urge to scream in pain. "Ghhh--oooooooo to heeeellll!!!!!!"

Kuroo jumps off his back only to slam his foot down on his shoulder blades. It cracks again, effectively breaking into 3 parts. 

"Really now, I was asking politely. How rude." He clicks his tongue, crouching down to stare at the kodai who was trembling in pain on the floor. "Are ya really sure about that?"

"Glory to our Master! Glory to the Kodai!" He managed to choke out before Kuroo uses his katana to slit the kodai's throat, killing him instantly as he drowned in his own blood. As his heart pulsed its last beat, the blood sprayed onto Kuroo's face and body, drenching him in red. 

"Commander Kuroo!" A knight approaches him, jogging close. The commander turns his head to glance at the knight, the sinister look he had while killing the kodai member remaining on his face. Flinching, the knight took a step back.

"Spit it out, knight." He grumbled out, standing up from his crouched position. "What is it?"

"Co-Commander Iwaizumi caught another kodai member! He looks high-ranked, so the Emperor is personally going to question him!"

♚♚♚

Beneath the moonlight-stricken Ooku Palace, there was a secret underground jail, used only to detain the worst. This was where all the serial killers and where all the nobles who committed high treason went to.

The underground prison was not a nice place. It was dark, and it smelled like gasoline and ammonia. Staying in here for a few days and inhaling the scent could poison your lungs. It would start to weaken your immune system and shed your weight until you were left skin and bones.

An hour has passed since the clock struck 12 midnight. In the prison, the emperor stood in front of a beat up member. Needles were inserted under his nails, his toenails were all ripped off, and his face had been peeled constantly. Instead of a human, he looked closer to a monster. 

"Are you not tired, kodai? Why don't you just give up and tell me where your headquarters are?" Atsumu leans near the kodai member, his dark eyes staring directly into the oculars of the person. "If you do that, I'll let you go alive." He chuckles in amusement, earning the anger of the kodai.

He growls, spitting blood on the emperor's face. "I will never tell you anything! Glory to our Master! Glory to the Kodai!"

"Are you going to continue to be stubborn and struggle continuously even though its futile? Just betray your so-called glorified master and tell me your location, unless you'd like to see me slice your fingers while keeping your bones intact." Atsumu's patience was starting to run thin, only hanging by a mere thin thread. Any more refusal and he would snap. 

But alas, one can not force an idiotic loyal dog to point out its master's home. 

Yes, once again, the kodai refused.

Yelling so loudly and hysterically it vibrated off the walls, he spat multiple curses out at the emperor. "You damn bastard! You're just like the previous emperors. A sadistic, psychopathic, abusive emperor!" Like a mad man, he started cackling. "You know, that favorite concubine of yours? Yeah, Hinata Shouyo, that pretty yellow prince of the Kinryu Empire? He'll die too. Every single one you take favor of will die!!!!"

And with that, the string snapped.

Atsumu's expression darkens, the whole room suddenly being weighed down by suffocating pheromones. It was heavy and dark, squeezing the oxygen out of their lungs and squeezing their hearts. It was the pheromones of a strong emperor. 

"Kuroo. Hand me the Mikazuki Munechika." He held his hand out, Kuroo handing the nichirin over to Atsumu, who unsheathes it. Like the name suggested, the blade shone brightly under the moonlight, glinting like the scorching sunlight. The blade reflected the kodai's eyes; full of fear, horror, anger and regret.

With one clean slice, he uses all his strength to slice through the neck of the kodai. No one even had any time to react. All of them thought he would chop off his fingers, not his head. 

The severed head, eyes wide open, still holding the same fear, horror, anger and regret, now rolled on the floor. The body leaned forward, blood spraying out of the exposed neck like a rain shower.

Without even giving the body one last glance, he hands his katana to the unmoving commander. "Clean Mikazuki and get rid of that body. These rats don't know how to strike a good deal."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo everyone!
> 
> Feels kinda sad, doesn't it? A small part of Atsumu's backstory has finally been revealed! What do you guys think of it?
> 
> Do you think Atsumu is really a psychopath or he's just a dumb asshole?
> 
> I'll be releasing Atsumu's backstory pretty soon, hope you look forward to it!
> 
> Alsooooooo, here is the drawing of tsumu tsumu k-wording the kodai member hohohoho 
> 
> Idk if I should be proud of this or nah
> 
> I love how I did the hair, skin an sword tho qqqqwqqqq that's it tho HEEHUEF
> 
> I'll be releasing Atsumu's backstory pretty soon, hope you look forward to it! 
> 
> Here is the link to the drawing I did if you guys are interested in viewing it ^^
> 
> https://twitter.com/chaexijun/status/1301910151134195712?s=20
> 
> Anyways, our vocabulary list is back! I added vocabulary words again skskskkssk
> 
> Japanese Words:
> 
> *Mizu - japan-made towel made out of cotton
> 
> *Hinoki - also known as Chamaecyparis obtusa, the hinoki cypress is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high quality timber and ornamental qualities, with many cultivars commercially available. One of the most elegant types of wood in Japan. 
> 
> *Genkan - are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat. It is usually located inside the building directly in front of the door.
> 
> *Chabudai - is a short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes. The original chabudai ranged in height from just 15 cm to a maximum height of 30 cm. People seated at a chabudai may sit on zabuton or tatami rather than on chairs.
> 
> *Mikazuki Munechika - one of the Tenka-Goken or "Five Swords Under Heaven" katanas, it is the “Mikazuki Munechika” or “Crescent moon” sword. This is said to be the most beautiful of the Tenka-Goken. The sword was made by the famous swordsmith Sanjo Munechika. When Munechika made this sword, crescent moon patterns appeared on the hamon as a result of the tempering. It is a National Treasure of Japan, and is housed in the Tokyo National Museum.
> 
> *Imperial Scholar - in this story, an imperial scholar is a student who has passed the imperial test. Imperial scholars are those studying to become the aide of the future Emperors.
> 
> Okay anyways, that's it! Thank you for waiting for this update! I hope you enjoyed it, I made it long to compensate for how late I always update TwT 
> 
> Thank you for supporting The Male Empress!!!!!! <333333333
> 
> P.S.: Join our Fujoshtickss Palace on Discord! Copy this link to join,,,, https://discord.gg/Uk9n3bX
> 
> I love you all!
> 
> ♚♚♚
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: chanhoed
> 
> ♚♚♚


	19. A Knight's Vow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I apologize for the delay, I got busy because of school! TT_TT
> 
> I'm back though! And with a long update, too!
> 
> WARNING: R-18 CONTENT BELOW.

♚♚♚

"Master..." Yuta trembled before the man, prostrated on the floor as the man gripped his chin in a tight hold.

"What did I tell you, Yuta?" He growled out. "Repeat what I told you."

Yuta flinched in fear, tears pooling at his waterline. "Failure is not accepted..."

"That's right." His squeezing got tighter, his grip feeling like it would snap Yuta's jaw in half. "Failure is not accepted. So, what was that last night?"

Under his black mask, Yuta was biting his lip viciously, trying to prevent himself from bursting out crying. He failed to meet his master's expectations. He disappointed his master.

Wasn't he practically useless now?

A task that he failed to succeed. He had never failed before, so this was a hard blow to his pride.

His right hand gripped at his chest, feeling suffocated. Humiliation. Disappointment. Idiocy. Shame. All of them muddled his head.

Yuta felt like an idiot. He could sense the dark, anger filled gaze on his face that he turned away from so he would not meet his master's eyes.

A failure, that's what he was.

"I'm sorry, Master!" He yelled out, a few tears dripping out instinctively. "I deserve death!"

His master stated at him grovel, removing his hand from gripping Yuta's cheek. They stayed in position for a few minutes, the whole room being overtaken by silence and the aura of heavy pheromones. It was a dominating feeling, one that excited Yuta and at the same time restricted his breathing.

It was both asphyxiating and pleasuring.

To him, at least.

After a few more minutes of dead silence and heavy, choked breathing from Yuta, his master stops using his pheromones, like a veil being lifted off the body. The air was no longer dense and was instead light, slipping through Yuta's gasping mouth with ease.

"Hm. You don't necessarily deserve death." The man grunts, fixing his sleeves. "You are a valuable asset to me. You are my trump card."

Yuta's eyes widen, his heartbeat speeding up tenfold. He could feel his face heating up under the cover of his mask.

His master just called him valuable. He was special to master! Oh, wasn't that so great?

His lips twitch as he held back a grin, euphoria washing over him like a huge tidal wave. He's someone needed. He's someone irreplaceable. He's someone Master didn't want to get rid of.

"Yuta." His master turned away from him, his back facing his kneeling body. "You have already sent the envoy, right?"

His eyes lit up, rushing to lay his face by his master's foot. "I have, Master! Do I have another task, Master???"

Just like a pet dog, Yuta eagerly awaited his next tasks. He sat on the floor, looking up at his master with big, doe eyes.

The man sighs, shaking his head. "You will take head of the plan. I want to hear good news tomorrow night."

"Yes, Master!!"

♚♚♚

Yesterday, 10 in the morning.   
Location: Imperial Emperor's chambers

After Hinata left with Atsumu to get him patched up, he was ready to leave to go back to the Hyacinth Palace when he was halted by Atsumu. 

"Wait." He grunted out, holding onto Hinata's harm with the hand that was injured. "Take Osamu with you. You have no one to escort you back."

Hurriedly, Hinata holds onto Atsumu's injured hand gently. "Atsumu-san, I'm fine. And please, take care of your hand... The wound might start bleeding again if you grip my arm like that..."

The emperor stares at the prince. He was just like an angel. From his kind words, to his gentle touch, everything about him screamed purity.

And this angel was his. He was his fated mate, he was sure of it.

As if he read his brother's mind, Advisor Osamu suddenly intervenes, snatching Atsumu's wrist. "It's alright, Prince Hinata. I do not mind escorting you back to the Hyacinth Palace."

He turns to glare at his brother, who had a dark look on his face. He didn't like being interrupted. 

Osamu already knew what he was going to say. He was mostly likely going to spout out nonsense; that nonsense being declaring Hinata Empress and that Hinata was his fated mate.

He had to block that nonsense, one way or another.

"The Emperor is correct, for once. It's dangerous to go about without an escort. Will you allow me to accompany you home in stead of Sir Kageyama?" The advisor's eyes were firm and serious, indicating he was honestly set on the task at hand. It seemed as if he would not take no for an answer.

With an unsure but soft smile, the prince decided to give in and agree to their insisting. He was sure that Atsumu would nag him continuously if he didn't agree, anyways. 

"Then, I'll get going, Atsumu-san. Please take care of your hand.." Again, he's held back by Atsumu, who had a knowing look in his eyes. He most likely wanted something again. 

"What is it?" Confusion swirled in the prince's eyes, his head tilting slightly like a small puppy. Honestly, he resembled one, with his fluffy hair and big, bright eyes. If he put on a collar and animal ears, he could easily pass off as a pet.

The emperor lays out his palm, the prince immediately laying his hand on top of the former's without asking a question. "Come here." He's dragged close, his waist captured in the emperor's strong embrace. 

His nose inhales the scent of the orange-haired prince, breathing it in religiously like a drug. Hinata Shouyo smelled like a safe haven; he smelled like warmth. He smelled like the warm rays of sunshine slipping through the window every morning. 

His face travelled to the crook of Hinata's neck, his mouth automatically opening to bare his canines. 

With wide eyes, the advisor's ocular zero in on his brother's gaped mouth, and in a panic, his hand lashes out.

"You—!" Osamu's palm suddenly slams across Atsumu's forehead, gripping his head and pushing it away forcefully. He knew what he was about to do; he was about to mark Hinata without even thinking twice. 

"....... What are you fucking doing....?" Atsumu growled out, his expression so dark he looked like a demon. His jaw was tight, teeth gritted as a vein protruded on his temple, his sharp eyes burning holes through his sibling. 

So close. It was so close, yet he was interrupted. Maybe he should just kill...

"I'll be escorting Prince Hinata to the Hyacinth Palace now." Advisor Osamu had a forced eye smile, one that was dangerous if you stared at it for too long. His eyebrows were furrowed and his lip twitched in annoyance, still gripping the emperor's head in his hand. 

"A-Atsumu-san..." Hinata was uncomfortably stuck in between both brothers, who both had animosity brewing between them. Like thick miasma, the airy became heavy, and it was getting hard to breathe. The two alpha twins were trying to project domination on each other. It felt like a fight was about to break loose. "Uhm, please, I'll just get going."

"Yes." Osamu chuckled, eyes crescented in a eye smile. "Shall we get going, then?"

"...Let go of my fucking head." The emperor swatted the advisor's hand away, a murderous glare piercing through him like an arrow. 

In a monotone voice, he said, "I apologize, Imperial Emperor." The advisor takes hold of the prince's waist and leads him away from the tyrant's grasp. "I will be escorting the prince back to his palace now. Please take care of yourself."

The emperor lets out a sardonic laugh before Advisor Osamu hurriedly led Hinata out of Atsumu's sleeping quarters, closing the door with a loud creak. 

For a few minutes, the walk back to the Hyacinth Palace was awkward and silent, none of them glancing at each other. Hinata was confused; he didn't understand what went on back there, especially when Advisor Osamu gripped Atsumu's head. Wouldn't that just anger him? It seemed like the two were about to quarrel before. 

"Prince Hinata." The advisor called out to the prince, who halted his steps. He turns to look at the advisor, who wore a concerned frown on his face. "That was dangerous. You should have moved away."

"What do you mean?" Hinata felt more confused, puzzled by what Advisor Osamu was saying. "I'm sorry, Advisor Osamu, but I really don't understand what you're trying to say."

The advisor sighs deeply, shaking his head before they continue to walk, this time, side by side. "Prince Hinata, the emperor was about to mark you back there. Did you really not notice it?"

A gasp escapes Hinata's lips, his stomach suddenly dropping in shock.

A mark. A pair mark.

He was about to be marked?

"I.. No, that's impossible. Atsumu-san wouldn't bite me so impulsively..." He shook his head stubbornly, refusing to believe what Osamu said.

He wanted to believe that Atsumu was better than before. That he was changing, that he already left his predatory and dominating ways back in the past. 

Atsumu was gentle to him now. He was sweet, loving, patient, and knew his boundaries. Sure, there were times where he was a bit more touchy, but he never pushed past kisses on the cheek and back hugs.

Wasn't that enough proof that he was trying to improve himself?

"You really trust him that much already?" Advisor Osamu's eyes were filled with pity directed towards Hinata. "You shouldn't trust a monster, Imperial Prince."

The sound of silence took over them, Hinata refusing to acknowledge the advisor's words. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, Advisor Osamu."

This was concerning. Once Hinata decides to put his absolute trust in you, he will believe you no matter what. Why? Because he was naive and innocent that way. Ignorant, you could say. This is what made him unfit to be Crown Prince; his idealistic way of thinking and his blind trust in people is what made him lose candidacy to the throne.

Well, it's not like he wanted it in the first place.

"Prince Hinata, that childish way of thinking will hurt you in the end." The prince huffs and turns around to glare at the advisor, who stops in surprise. ".... I was only suggesting it since it was for your own good."

"Stop it. Stop nagging me about my life, I'm perfectly fine." He grumbled out. "You can leave me here. I'll walk home the rest of the way."

"Imperial Prince, that's—" He's cut short by Hinata, who raises his hand and shakes his head. 

"It's literally 5 minutes away. Please leave me alone, I don't want to talk about anything else with you right now." His voice wavered, biting his lip gently.

"... I see." Osamu still had a concerned look on his face, but he disguised it with a blank look; the same blank look he wore everyday, everywhere. "I apologize for my impertinence. I will be excusing myself now. Please take care, Prince Hinata."

With that, he turned around swiftly and left, his geta clacking on the wooden floor of the hallways of the Ooku Palace. 

Hinata sighed and continued to walk back to his palace, taking in the scenery to distract himself from his thoughts.

Blue and purple leaves floated with the wind, the strong, cool air making the jacaranda and wisteria tree branches dance along.

The air smelled like winter, the blades of grass that grazed his feet as he walked the grassy path home feeling cold, like it had froze.

The squirrels living in the tall, proud pine trees were scurrying about, carrying pinecones in their tiny arms.

Finally, he's in front the wooden gates of the Hyacinth Palace, pushing it open to enter the courtyard. The maids, usually so friendly and talkative, scrambled to his side, blocking him from moving forward.

"Imperial Prince! W-Welcome back!" One stuttered out, holding the prince's hands in a sweaty grip. Her face was contorted into a very unnatural calm look, her lower lip quivering and twitching as she tried to hold back the trembling of her body. 

The other two maids blocking him nodded quickly in anxious agreement, eyes nervously darting everywhere. "Yes! Welcome back, Imperial Prince!!"

Was there something wrong? Was there a problem he didn't know that happened while he was away?

"Did something happen?" Hinata asks, making the maids panic even more.

"I-Imperial Prince, it's not—"

"It's fine guys, I won't get mad. Can you please lead me to whatever you're hiding from me?" Sadly, the maids agree to lead him towards the disaster zone. Of course, not before sighing and glancing at each other.

They entered the palace, leaving their geta at the getabako in the genkan.

They whispered among themselves as they walked up the stairs, leading him to his room.

He had a bad feeling about this...

Sliding open the shoji doors, he was greeted by a scene he never expected.

Carnage. Chaos. Destruction.

That's what his room looked like.

His chabudai was toppled over and broken into pieces, splinters of wood scattered around the vicinity.

Curtains were pulled off the walls, ripped so bad it was only hanging by a thread.

His bed was the most damaged, with his sheets in pieces and his futon was torn apart.

A smashed tea pot lay on the floor, the piping hot water leaving a mark on the wall.

Shimizu was in the middle of the room, quietly cleaning up the mess without any help.

"What in the world..." He gasps out, shocked by what he was seeing. The room looked like it was destroyed by a wild beast.

Upon hearing the prince's voice, Shimizu whips her head towards the door, freezing in place.

"I-Imperial Prince..." She accidentally dropped the glass shards she picked up from the broken window back on the floor. Shame washed over her, embarrassed that her master had to see such an unsightly room. It was her fault it became this way, so she couldn't bear seeing that shocked look on his face. He was probably angered by now. "I apologize. A jealous concubine came.. I could not stop him... Please punish me accordingly, Imperial Prince."

"Please don't punish Shimizu-san, Imperial Prince." One of the maids who lead him sobbed out.

"Please forgive her..." Another quips.

"Please have mercy, Imperial Prince!"

With a gentle smile, he nods at the three maids and at Shimizu, who was still on the floor. "It's okay... I don't really care what the concubine did to this room. Rather, are you hurt?"

Shimizu, one who was usually aloof, calm and collected, held back in a sob. "I'm fine, Imperial Prince."

She hated lying to her master, but it was for the better.

He wouldn't know how to deal with it when he learns that it was his trusted emperor that was the one who ripped this room apart.

♚♚♚

Yesterday, 12 in the afternoon.   
Location: Koganegawa residence.

"Kogane, it's time to wake up!" Sakunami Kosuke yelled out loudly, calling out to his mate who was still sleeping soundly in the bed chambers.

Last night was hectic for Koganegawa. He had to finish a lot of paperwork left for him since he was governing a land which had increasing problems.

And of course, he did a lot of nightly exercise that ended at dawn.

"Earl Sakunami..! Please leave the cooking to me!" A maid begged out, in a panic since the omega was exerting effort by cooking a large amount of food.

"I won't get tired from a little movement, so please allow me to continue cooking for my husband, okay?" The old maid still had a concerned look plastered on her face, standing beside him the whole time like a watch dog.

She may look like an overprotective servant, but Sakunami was already 2 weeks pregnant. If he exerted too much effort, it could affect the child, which is definitely not a favorable outcome.

But alas, things do not always go your way. Sakunami Kosuke was very stubborn, and didn't want to back down. He insisted on staying in the kitchen and wanted to cook up meals for his mate, Koganegawa Kanji. 

"Earl...!" The old head maid sighs out, extremely worried for the well being of both Kosuke and the child he was carrying.

"Saku-chan, stop being so stubborn and listen to the head maid." Koganegawa enters the kitchen area, yawning as he stretched his arms above him. Despite the afternoon being chilly due to the upcoming winter, the alpha was not wearing any inner clothes and instead wore only a flimsy white kimono, which he wore in a ruffian way. The upper kimono was completely off his upper body, the sleeves tied around his waist. His whole torso was exposed, bare back completely filled with red nail marks. Maids standing on-duty against the wall giggled, subtly pointing to the Viscount's back before giggling with each other. 

Last night was probably full of sweat and wrestling in the sheets, seeing the state of the Viscount's back. 

"Good afternoon, Kogane." Sakunami greeted his mate, smiling softly at him as the alpha approached sluggishly, sloppily kissing his cheek. His eyelids were still fluttering close, sooty, dark eyelashes fanning his cheeks repeatedly. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep himself awake. 

"I told you to stop keeping me up until dawn, now look at you. It's 12 in the afternoon but you're this sluggish." The omega kisses him back, the latter wrapping his arms around the omega, proceeding to lick the mark on his neck. Sakunami, who was used to how clingy his mate was, just ignored his sensual licking, continuing to chop the spring onions beside the head maid, who also ignored him. 

At first, all of the servants of the Koganegawa household were shocked with how Koganegawa Kanji acted around Sakunami Kosuke. Yes, he was his usual rowdy and wild self, but when Sakunami came along, he became subservient, like a puppy. It was amusing and baffling, seeing such a proud alpha wag his tail around an omega, but they slowly got used to it. The servants concluded that Sakunami had such a strong impact on their Master that he was willing to follow everything Sakunami had ordered.

Well, Earl Sakunami was very charismatic in a pure and innocent sense. He had a way of wrapping people around his pinky finger without even batting an eyelash. People knew he could entrance them, but they still continued to get trapped in his web like a bunch of flies. That just showed how charismatic he was. 

Kind of like the fairy in the Ooku garden, Tsukishima Kei.

Everyone could agree he was the most charismatic out of all the omegas in the Ooku Palace. It was a surprise that the Emperor didn't take him for himself. 

Then again, the Emperor preferred small, dainty and doe-eyed omegas than tall ones.

"Why do you get up so early even when we do it till mornings...?" The alpha mumbled, groaning as he squeezed himself closer to the omega. Sakunami, who was chopping spring onions, chuckled softly. 

"You must have a weak virility to not be able to withstand an all-nighter." Koganegawa gasped in surprise, slighlty offended but amused by what his mate said. 

"That was mean!" He whined out, pouting and huffing out like a little child.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Sakunami laughed out. "Our little bean wakes me up every early morning so I can't puke out yesterday's contents... Ugh." He sighed out, shaking his head.

"Poor Saku-chan..." Koganegawa muttered out, patting Sakunami's flat stomach that was yet to grow bigger. "When is Saku-chan's stomach going to get bigger? I can't wait for our baby..."

"Oh you..."

"Oh dear! Master, I think it's best you stay out of the kitchen!" The head maid harrumphs, nudging her master away from the Earl. "You're only being a distraction to everyone cooking!"

"B-But Fujihiki-san—" The head maid shook her head, crossing her stout arms across her chest.

"Master still has more work to do. Master can't stay on leave forever!" She scolded him, making him grumble under his breath like a scolded child.

"But I wish to stay with Saku-chan..." Like a dejected puppy, he was whining. You could almost see sad dog ears on his head from how much he resembled one.

"Kanji, just listen to the head maid. I'll be right in the dining room in a while." Koganegawa gives out a loud gasp, covering his mouth dramatically.

"You used my first name, Saku-chan...!"

"Oh, shut it, you! Go wait in the dining room!"

"I love you, Saku-chan!!"

♚♚♚

Yesterday. 2 in the afternoon.   
Location: Hyacinth Palace detached house

The wind wasn't any warmer at 2 in the afternoon. It was cold, like the breeze from Toryu Empire.

Kageyama Tobio sat on the engawa of the detached house, holding his unsheathed blade in his dominant hand. Without a care in the world, he began to polish his sword, making glint brightly and wonderfully under the sun covered by many clouds.

Cold. That's what it felt like. Kageyama felt horrible, not being able to be beside Hinata. To protect him. He was only doing what was right, but it seemed like Hinata misunderstood his intentions. Although it was the emperor's fault, Hinata believed that son of a bitch emperor over him because he was already wrapped around the emperor's little finger. He was deceived by that psychopath's lies, he was manipulated. That was probably why Hinata, his childhood friend and young master, didn't believe him at all.

It was painful, really.

He should have tried to explain, at least. Maybe his master would have listened, even if it was for a bit. He should have asked to be heard out.

He felt pitiful, and that made him feel abhorrence for himself. Because knights should be strong, not pitiful.

"Come to think of it, it was also this season," He breathed out, sentimental eyes glazed with raw emotions gazing at the graying sky. The sun was covered by dark clouds, as if insinuating that Prince Hinata was being consumed by dark manipulation. "It was the same gray clouds we saw when I first pledged my life to you."

A soft smile casts upon his face, reminiscing that same day ten years ago.

It was cold, like the autumn breeze of Toryu Empire. The sun was covered behind dark clouds, the temperature feeling like it was about to drop below freezing point. As Kageyama breathed out, vapor clouded his mouth, his warm breath turning into cold mist. 

He stared at the back of his young master, who was standing under the large ginko tree situated in the middle of the Imperial Palace of Kinryu Empire. 

"This ginko tree was planted by my mother when she was a young princess." He started, touching the strong trunk of the tree. The golden leaves swayed, as if it was trying to caress the prince's body. His voice was wavering, cracking as he held back his voice. "Imperial Mother loved this tree. She told me she grew up taking care of this tree, from the day it was but a little sapling. She told me how she nurtured it with care everyday, how she watered the sapling that would shrivel up during winter, how she fought her older siblings who told her it was a lost cause."

"Imperial Prince..." Kageyama approached Hinata. His back looked so lonely and hurt. His back looked like he carried the weight of the word. His small back, which was smaller than most of his peers, was hunched over with grief and pain. 

"But why..." The prince sobbed out, unable to hold back his tears. They poured down his eyes, fat rivulets of salty, warm tears streaming down his face, dripping on the thin blades of grass. He dropped to his knees, weeping loudly. "She was fine the week before, so why.... Why did she leave me alone...?"

Kageyama hurries to Hinata's side, taking him in his hold, like an older brother comforting their younger sibling. Prince Hinata Shouyo, the eldest Imperial child, and an omega. He was shunned by the people of the palace, with no one to rely on but his friend and squire knight Kageyama Tobio. Not even his father cared about him, for he was what you called, "a subservient gender not fitting for attention".

His mother was his only safe haven. She was his only pillar, his only shoulder to cry on. Now that she was gone, who could he cry to? Who could he seek when he was sad? Who could he vent to when he was angry at the world, when he was angry at himself, when he was angry at his gender?

Hinata looked up, eyes red form crying. His cheek was swollen and bruised, showing signs of violence. His father probably hit him, though Kageyama didn't know why. All he knew that he hated seeing Hinata hurt, and that the emperor was the worst for hitting his child. "Kageyama.... Imperial Father didn't even allow me to send her off... He didn't allow me to kiss her hand goodbye, one last time... He didn't let me see her, he hurt me, he told me that I wasn't allowed to cry....!" 

He bawled even louder, shoulders shaking from how hard he was crying. "I wasn't even allowed to see Imperial Mother one last time....! Just because I'm an omega, Imperial Father hates me? How come Natsu was able to see mother off? Am I that useless in his eyes? That he doesn't even consider me his son, he only sees me as a pawn?"

"Imperial Prince, please stand up and keep your head high. I am here to support you." Kageyama declared, eyes fierce and serious. Hinata, whose face was buried on Kageyama's chest, lifted up his head. 

"Are you mocking me?" He mumbled out, eyes full of hurt and distrust. 

"I am not. Please, stand up." The dark-haired knight helped the prince stand up, helping him regain his stance. "Stand proudly, please. I am here to be your stepping stone. I am here to support you in times of hurt, in times of weakness."

"And just how would you do that?" The prince asked, to which the knight replied with a confident smile. He takes out his blade from the scabbard tied to his hip, thrusting the sword into the soil in between the prince and him. He knelt down, holding onto the handle, bowing his head before Hinata. 

"W-Wait, don't tell me..."

"I will never betray you, and I will guard you like a shadow. I will never be defeated, and I will always protect your honor. I will sacrifice my life for you, and will willingly jump into the fire pits of hell for Your Highness. This measly knight named Kageyama Tobio, swears loyalty and allegiance to the only Imperial Prince of Kinryu Empire, Prince Hinata Shouyo. I offer you my life, I offer my knight's oath and vow to you."

He's done it. 

With wide but tear-filled eyes, Hinata holds his hand on the knight's shoulder. This time, he wasn't crying of sadness. This time, it was joy. Someone was on his side. Someone swore loyalty to him; someone swore to protect him.

He whispered. "I accept." 

♚♚♚

Yesterday. 6 in the evening.  
Location: Oikawa Household

Archduke Oikawa Tooru slowly sneaks in his palace through the side entrance, gently sliding open the doors to creep in when he bumps into his knight Hanakami's abdomen. He glowers at the archduke, who tries to scurry away, but ultimately gets dragged in by the collar. 

Arms crossed, Hanamaki stood glaring down at Oikawa, who was sitting with his feet tucked under him and his hands neatly placed on his lap. "You stupid...! Didn't I tell you to stop sneaking out?!"

The archduke pouts, whimpering like a scolded puppy. "But... But.. I went to see my alpha!" His childish actions make Hanamaki hit him over the head with the white cloth he used to gloss his katana. 

He glowered even more, eyes boring holes into Oikawa's whole body. "You dumbass archduke! Sir Iwaizumi is a beta! Have you lost your brain? Do you want me to hit you again so your brain starts working???" 

"Eeeeeeh, still the same! My alpha!" He whined out, acting like a child having a tantrum. 

"Really, you...!" Hanamaki sighs deeply, groaning as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache; he knew Oikawa was deliberately acting like a child to piss him off, but Oikawa's face was just that annoying that irritation got to him every time. "Whatever. I'll tel you off the hook, again. Just go eat dinner. I was looking all over for you, you idiot! At least tell me where you're going to go!"

"It's more fun sneaking out!" Oikawa sticks out his tongue, earning a glare from his knight. "Ehe. Are you sure you were actually looking for me? I saw you fooling around last night with Detective Matsukawa, though???"

"... Just get in the dining room, idiot!"

♚♚♚

Warning: Slight NSFW

Present time. 11 in the evening.  
Location: Yoshiwara 

"Haaaaah....." Matsukawa sighed deeply, his cheeks red. He was already disoriented, but he still could not seem to get drunk enough to forget about his work. The deaths of the omegas were weighing down on him. He was the hope of all; the detective who was supposed to solve this problem as quick as possible. 

But why couldn't he find any leads? Was the Kodai being backed up by a bigger source of power? Was the Kodai being supported by Toryu, the strongest empire?

No, that's too irrational. Toryu Empire doesn't even need to care about Seiryu Empire. They got their princess back, anyways. 

Was it Ex-Empress Yachi's doing, then? Is this her revenge? But she was a weak woman, it's impossible for that to happen...

"Oi, Matsukawaa...." Commander Kuroo blubbered out in a drunk daze, swaying as he clinked his glass against Matsukawa's. "I heardddddd from one of the beta maidsssss about ssssssomething."

Blinking several times, the detective tried to focus on the commander, who looked like he had four bodies. Was he drunk already? "W-What is it?"

He scooches closer, bringing his hand to his mouth to act as a blocker as he whispered in Matsukawa's ear. "Ya know... I heaaaaaaaard that our ex-empresssssss was given a part offf Toryu's landddd...."

"Just get to the point, you drunkard." The detective sighs, rubbing his temples. The alcohol was getting to him, his head starting to spin and his vision starting to split. 

"I heard......" The commander lowered his voice even more. "That-that Emperor Bokuto granted that biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig island in the middle of Toryu tooooooo that girllll so she could makeee aaaan empireee herselfffffffff."

At this rumor, the detective's eyes widened. Was this true? Was Hitoka Yachi really going to make an empire herself?? 

He must find a way to discover the truth of this. If she became the empress of a new empire, even if it was a newly-found empire.... She would have the support of Toryu empire, and she could wage war on Seiryu. 

But not right now. Right now, what's important is getting drunk as much as possible. Tomorrow was another miserable day of work, work, work. Tonight should be about fun.

"Oh, fuck off." He pushed Kuroo's face away, grumbling. "You and your rumors. Maybe you should become a maid instead since you like eavesdropping."

"Hehe." Kuroo snickers, grinning widely as he poured himself another drink. "After thisssss, I'll fucking massacreeee those fuckinggggggg Kodaiiiiiiii."

"Same here." Matsukawa chuckled, closing his eyes and nodding in agreement. "I'll catch them one by one and torture them slowly. Maybe roast them o'er a fire."

"Then I'll fuck Kei so bad he won't walk for weeks!!!!!" Kuroo yelled out happily, spilling his drink everywhere. The people in the bar suddenly turn to watch both of them, some shooting envious looks, some shooting amused looks. Everyone knew how lucky Commander Kuroo was; he was the first one to stake claim over the fairy of Ooku garden. Everyone wanted a taste of that fairy, but of course, the commander never shares his property. "Yeeeees!! That's it!!!! Celebratory seeeeeexxxxxxxxxxxx!!!!"

Matsukawa bursts out laughing, amused at how noisy the proud Commander of the Azure Knights was when he was drunk. "Oh really? What else ya gonna do to him afterwards?"

Kuroo licks his lips. "I'll sink my knot into his cute hole until he cries out my first name!!"

"Kuroo-san!" A tall, dainty man walks in the pub, making everyone stop and stare. His golden hair glinted under the moonlight streaming through the window, and his milky, supple skin showed under his flimsy white sleeping kimono. It was the hot topic of the knights, the center of attention; Tsukishima Kei. 

His face was red in embarrassment, eyebrows furrowed in irritation as he pulled Kuroo up form his seat. The latter, disoriented, grins at the former. "If it ain't my pretty Keiii... Ya here to pick daddy up?"

"Could you stop that? You're so embarrassing..." Tsukishima grumbled out, turning even redder as he swung Kuroo's arm over his shoulder. 

"Don't ya wanna feel my knot sink into youuuuu???~" Kuroo whispers, but it was still loud enough for the people staring to hear. 

"Stop it, you idiot." He pinches the commander's cheek, glaring at him. "I apologize, Sir Matsukawa. I'll be bringing home Kuroo-san already."

Matsukawa smiled and nodded. "Nah, it's fine. I'll get going too..."

With Kuroo in tow, Tsukishima Kei leaves the pub as he scolded Kuroo along the way. 

The detective sighs and stood up, paying for the drinks before leaving the pub. It must be nice to have a partner to look over you, he thought. Though, he wasn't really interested in relationships.

One person came to mind, though.

Walking aimlessly through the hallways of Ooku Palace, he seeks the scent of a beta knight. 

And by the Dragon God's will, he found him. Hanamaki Takahiro, the beta knight with the sweetest scent. 

There he was, glancing around. Hanamaki was probably searching for his master, Archduke Oikawa, who most likely sneaked out his palace late at night to visit Sir Iwaizumi. 

"It must be fate." He blubbered out from across the hallway, catching Hanamaki's attention.

"...Mattsun-san?" Hanamaki, as if on instinct, runs towards the detective, who slumps against his body as soon as he came close. "W-Woah! You reek of alcohol..."

"S-Sorry....." He mumbled, kissing the beta's neck, who flushes read. "I was trying to forget my problems........ By the way, you smell good as usual...."

"M-Mattsun-san... Um, just tell me where your household is." With a groan, Matsukawa gave directions to Hanamaki in a drunken state. They were both staggering, Hanamaki slowed down by the heavy weight of this big alpha who was leaning all his weight on him. 

When they arrived at the household, Hanamaki was surprised to see no servants around. The courtyard was big, the house was big, but there were no servants within the vicinity. 

"Mattsun-san, do you not have any servants?" He asked, the drunk detective groaning yes in reply. He seemed really drunk for him to not be able to spout any words. 

With great effort, he half-dragged Matsukawa up the stairs of his household, dropping him on the bed of his chambers. Sweat was dripping from his hairline, his back drenched that his kimono top stuck to him like a wet glove. Despite the cold temperature of the autumn night, Hanamaki was sweating bullets.

"I'll be going now, Mattsun-san—" In a split second, he's suddenly pulled down to the bed, topped by none other than Matsukawa Issei. His breathing was deep and ragged, his alcohol-smelling breath fanning against the beta knight's face. His face was red in a drunken stupor. 

"Let me ravage you, Hana." He kisses the beta's neck sloppily, who struggles against the alpha's strong hold. "Just... Just let me hold you, please. I need you."

"Mattsun-san.. Please, we can't do this....." He gasps when the alpha suddenly bites his collar bone. Matsukawa was affecting him. Even though he was a beta, he could feel Matsukawa's sensual pheromones enveloping him, like a warm blanket of desire. Something tingled inside him, a foreign feeling to him which made him feel a little scared.

"No, no, it's okay..." The alpha pulls open the beta's kimono, exposing his pale peach skin. "Beautiful. You smell so beautiful."

Hanamaki turns red in embarrassment, feeling himself turn warmer with each touch. Matsukawa was skilled with his hands. "Mattsun-san, I-I'm a beta.."

With a strong gaze, Matsukawa stares eye to eye with the beta, as if peering through his soul. "I don't care. I want to be in you."

And just like that, the string in Hanamaki snapped. It was fine, right? It was just sex. Nothing more. No feelings involved. Who was he to refuse it? It wasn't like two men having sex was such a taboo thing to do. 

Clothes rustled as they fervently removed their clothing, and like dogs in heat, they moved quickly. Matsukawa kissed and nipped every part of Hanamaki's body, licking and biting all the nooks and crannies. His tongue would swirl around the beta's nipples, then it would trail down the beta's pale abdomen. Their fast foreplay was getting heated really quickly, both breathing loudly in desire. 

"Aren't you hard enough, Matssun-san...?" The beta whispers, making the alpha growl in desire. 

"I'm not a savage, Hana.." He nipped the neck of the beta. "I'm going to have to stretch you out first... You don't self-lubricate.."

"Do it." Hanamaki leads the alpha's hand towards his bottom. "Do it already."

They shared a wet kiss, tongues overlapping before Matsukawa pulled away. 

"Open your mouth, Hana." The beta quickly obliges, opening his mouth and baring his tongue. Matsukawa sticks two fingers in, stirring his tongue around until his fingers get covered by saliva. 

"What are you..." He suddenly holds back a yelp when the alpha's fingers enter his hole, squelching in as it squeezed tightly. 

"That hurts...!" He mumbled out, his nails immediately scratching down the alpha's bare back. 

"Bear with it, Hana. I'll find it quickly so you'll feel good." Matsukawa groans, his member twitching in excitement as he continued to finger the beta. He curled his fingers inside, poking and swishing until Hanamaki arches his back and gasps. "See? I found it already."

He begins to repeatedly tap the same spot, making Hanamaki moan out his name and wrap his legs around his waist. "M-More..."

"You sure?" Matsukawa chuckles, the beta whimpering out in ecstasy as he continued to tease him with his fingers. "I bet I can find your spot with my dick, too."

♚♚♚

It took 5 rounds before they were tired enough to stop. 

It turns out that a beta's body was more resilient to hard sex that omegas, seeing as Hanamaki could still stay awake after all their wrestling in the sheets. 

"Don't you see how compatible we are, Hana? We're made for each other." Matsukawa mumbles, pulling his flaccid penis out of Hanamaki's ass. Semen leaked out, overflowing. 

"Mm, whatever, Mattsun-san..." Hanamaki groaned out, rubbing his back that was aching. "My back hurts." 

"Heh.. Sorry." The alpha kissed the omega's neck, which was littered with bite marks. Looks like he really wanted to mark this man. "Hana.. I know you can never be my mate, but... I love you. Can't you just stay with me?"

The beta's eyes widen. What was this? A confession? Who was this man kidding? "Mattsun-san, you know that's not true..."

"How can I prove to you that I truly love you?"

With a sad gaze, Hanamaki touches the detective's cheek gently. He had a solemn smile, as if he was hurting inside. But why? "I can't answer that right now..."

Matsukawa smiles back, his smile not reaching his eyes. He took the beta knight's hand and kissed it softly. "It's okay. I can wait."

♚♚♚

Birds chirping. Sun shining through the windows, covering them in a warm blanket of light. A painful, aching back and ass. That's what Hanamaki Takahiro woke up to in the morning.

He was still stark naked, but he was no longer sticky and sweaty. Matsukawa must have cleaned him up when he fell asleep last night. 

He smiles solemnly, kissing the sleeping detective chastely. "I'm sorry, Mattsun-san."

"Now where are my clothes? I must go back to Oikawa-san. He'll be teasing me today, so I can't scold him for sneaking out..." He sighs to himself, searching high and low for his clothes, which seemed to not want to show up. 

Looking under the bed, he finds his under shirt crumpled under. They must've been in such a hurry last night for his clothes to get kicked under the bed. 

"Dang..." He coughs, dust spewing on his face as he pulled out his undershirt. While he pulled it, a pile of papers were dragged with his clothes.

A chuckle makes its way out of Hanamaki's mouth, wearing his clothes before picking up the scattered papers. "Mattsun-san is so disorganized at times..." He found it cute how Matsukawa was a bit scatterbrained with his files. This must be important, but he left it scattered under the bed. 

In a curious daze, he goes through the contents of the papers. 

His eyes widen.

What... the hell was this...?

Why in the world...?

Matsukawa groans, surprising Hanamaki. He sits up, yawning as he stretched his arms, running his fingers through his hair. "Hana, what are you reading?"

He was disgusted. Utterly disgusted. Hanamaki raised the files up, Matsukawa's gentle eyes suddenly widening, filled with surprise, panic, and disbelief. 

"Hana—" Matsukawa quickly stood up, scrambling towards Hanamaki, who held one hand up. Last night's euphoria was now washing off. The contents of the papers shocked him back to reality.

Why couldn't Hanamaki just have one single normal day? Did the Dragon God really love playing around with him?

"You.. You..." Hanamaki's eyes were wide in disbelief, scoffing mockingly. This was stupid. Utterly stupid. "I can't believe you."

"Wait, Hanamaki—" He stops when the beta picks up his katana, his stance threatening to unsheathe the blade. 

"Stop right there!" He yelled, slamming the papers on Matsukawa's chest, glaring at him. "You want my answer from last night? This is my answer. I can't love a man like you."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo!!!
> 
> Finally backk TT________________________________TT
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this long update! I poured my soul out into here, because next week will be midterms for me and I won't be able to update smh
> 
> This chapter is 7k words, so take your time reading it! ;) 
> 
> Would you like to chat with me? Then join this server! 
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> https://discord.gg/Uk9n3bX
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> Thank you for being patient enough to wait for this update! I love you all <3333
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	20. The Pain of the Past

♚♚♚

Lock and key. 

Bow and arrow. 

Brains and brawns. 

The Imperial twins, born from the Imperial Empress, were an inseparable pair. Without one, you would not get the other. One relies on the other, and vice versa. 

Like two peas in a pod, they were together wherever they went. Just like normal children, they played together, fought together, and made up together. 

It could have been perfect if the twins were similar in every aspect, but alas, such a thing would be impossible to happen unless the Dragon God was unfair enough to create a perfect set of twins, similar through and through. 

It was already decided which twin would become the Imperial Crown Prince. It was inevitable, right from the start. 

The stronger one would always gain the crown and the favor of the Emperor. 

Miya Atsumu. Born with the golden hair of the Imperial Emperor, he already had one leverage over the sun of the empire. He was a prideful child, carrying himself with a high self-esteem, which contrasted the personality of his twin brother. 

Miya Osamu. He inherited the Imperial Empress's hair color, the color of fallen ash from an erupted volcano. He was self-reliant and often observed instead of talking. 

While Atsumu was a straightforward child who talked with his fists, Osamu was cold and calculating. Osamu was smart, a prodigy, in fact. 

The twins rarely saw their Emperor Father. It was a given; he was the Imperial Emperor, the person who leads the whole empire. They learned to not hold a grudge against their father, they even learned to appreciate and be in awe of the work of an Emperor. 

The lonliness they felt from their father's absence was filled by their Empress Mother. Their dear Empress Mother, sweet as the morning spring dew, so gentle she could not hurt a fly, was the greatest mother of all. She would dote on them both, drowning them with affectionate kisses and warm hugs. 

Though Atsumu still felt lonely. Even with the Empress's maternal actions, he felt cut out of the picture. Whenever she came to visit, the first one she looked for was his brother, Osamu. When they're playing in the grass fields and they both fall and scrape their knee, she rushes to Osamu's side without a hint of hesitation. 

'Mother loves me, Osamu is just weaker than me, that's why he's priority.' is what the small Atsumu thought, watching his Empress Mother pick up Osamu and move farther away in a quick pace, a pace that Atsumu couldn't quite catch up with. 

At the age of 7, Atsumu won countless of sword fights, emerging as the victor out of all of the kids. Even ones older than him, he obliterated with one swing of his sword. 

At the age of 7, Atsumu officially won the Emperor's complete favor and attained the title of "Crown Prince". 

Starting then, his mother became even more careful around him. She started to visit the twins' palace lesser, and instead switched to calling Osamu alone to her palace. 

It was cold. It was lonely. But it was okay. 

As long as she continued to smile at him. As long as she would still visit. As long as she would still pat his head, brush her fingers through his hair and kiss him good night, it didn't matter. It didn't matter if she asked for Osamu first. It didn't matter if she'd sometimes forget his presence in the room. It didn't matter if he had to stay awake until 2 am, waiting for his turn to get visited. 

As long as she remembered. 

Yeah, he was jealous that Osamu was getting more attention, but what could he do? Throw a tantrum? 

Of course not. 

On their 8th birthday, a large festival was held in commemoration for the Crown Prince and his twin brother's birthday. It was by the by the Imperial Emperor's decree for their birthday to be held so grandiose; it was the Crown Prince they were talking about, anyways. Although it was the twins' birthday, only Atsumu was the star of the show. Osamu was living in the shadow of Atsumu, in front of all these people. So he did what he thought was best; blending into the crowd, trying to attract as little attention to himself. 

But people had keen eyes. They stared and stared, and they whispered and gossiping loudly, doing it on purpose so the grey-haired twin could hear it all. 

'Is that not the younger twin of the Crown Prince?' 

'Why, it is him! I've forgotten that he has grey hair like the Empress... How unfortunate.' 

'It would have been better if he inherited the Imperial Emperor's hair color, poor thing.' 

'He was born to support his older twin. He was born to be an aide!'

They all giggled while blatantly talking about him. It was deafening. Their gossiping was giving him a headache, so he stuck to the walls. 

While observing from the side, he noticed a young, small girl with blonde hair and big doe brown eyes. She was a little wallflower, nervous and trembling as she refused to join the other nobles having fun in the center. Her clothes were an icy blue, intricately designed with fur surrounding the hem. Her fashion looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on which empire she came from.

Amidst all the noise, Atsumu noticed Osamu observing from the side, and tried his best to make him comfortable. He introduced his twin brother to the high nobles, he stayed beside his brother the whole time. Atsumu may be rough and violent, but he truly loved his brother. 

Everyone could see it. Even the Imperial Emperor could see it.

Only their Empress Mother could not.

The grandiose party started in the morning when the sun had risen an hour ago, until 12 in the evening. Throughout the whole day, there was no sign of their Empress Mother visiting or even dropping by to greet the guests. 

It was 1 in the morning when the twin princes was finally able to go back to their respective rooms. It was late, so they bid each other good byes and good nights, gave each other a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug with a pat on the back, then went to their respective rooms. Osamu's room was at the end of the hallway, while Atsumu's was right beside the Emperor's. As Atsumu was closing the door, he heard his Empress Mother greeting Osamu a happy birthday. It seems that she was waiting all along in his room.

"Empress Mother, are you not going to greet Atsumu?" He heard his brother ask, to which he heard the empress scoff in reply. 

"No need for that, darling. Greeting you is like greeting him, since you two are twins. Besides, I am quite sure he is asleep already. A Crown Prince's duties in a birthday as grand as his is tiring and draining, so let's leave him be, alright?" 

"...But I'm here." Atsumu had his back against the door, sliding down to sit on the cold floor. It was a frigid October night, the wind blowing a little stronger and cooler that the previous nights. "I'm still here, Mother, so why...."

He was still there. He was always there, in front of her, reaching out to her.

But why?

Why couldn't she at least acknowledge him?

She didn't have to give her the same love and affection she gave to Osamu. He just wanted her to acknowledge him. To acknowledge he was there. To acknowledge that he was also her son. 

He bit his lip, his eyes starting to turn blurry as tears started to pour down his cheeks. They were warm, and his chest felt like it was on fire with every breath he heaved out. 

He curled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his hands, holding back a sob as he threw his crown across the room. "I don't need this useless title at all!"

He wanted to throw a tantrum. He wanted to lash out and cry. But who would listen? His maids? His servants? His brother, who was spending his time with their mother at the moment?

No one was by his side. In the dark of his chambers, no one thought about Crown Prince Miya Atsumu's feelings. He was alone from the start. He couldn't even open up to his twin brother anymore. 

Painful. Everything was painful. From the tips of his toes to the top of his head, they were all turning numb from excruciating pain. His heart was beating loudly, feeling squeezed and suffocated. His lungs felt clogged up. His chest swirled with a dazing pain, as he wallowed in his hurt. The tears were like a waterfall, ever flowing, ever coming. His lower lip trembled as he resisted bawling out. It was unsightly for a Crown Prince to be found out crying on his birthday. 

"I don't need anything... I just need mother.." He whimpered out, falling asleep in the same position after hours of crying at night. 

The next day, when the maids found the Crown Prince asleep on the floor, they woke him up in a panic. His gaze was sharp and was ordering them to be silent. One could only close their mouth and look away, pretending they did not see anything. His eyes were red and swollen, tired from all the crying he did the night before. 

Disregarding his feelings, he locked up his emotions. 

'The future Emperor has no need to cry.' He thought. 'In the future, I can have everything. Maybe then, mother will at least take interest in me.'

It was the day that their mother came with bruises on her face and arms did she start treating Atsumu, badly. 

A gloomy afternoon, it was. Both princes were coped up in the palace, staring out the open window. The sky was dark and grey, the clouds overhead blocking the sun from shining through. Droplets of water were falling from the sky, drizzling over the whole imperial palace. 

"Nee, Samu." He mumbled out, his arms propped on the window frame, chin resting on his crossed arms as he gazed out the window. 

"Yeah, Tsumu?" His twin replied, keeping his nose buried in the books he was studying. Despite his classes in the Scholar Academy being cancelled due to the bad weather, he continued to study and write down notes for his classes. Time is of the essence, and the academy was a very competitive place. A second wasted could lead to him losing his position as the highest ranked imperial scholar. 

"Do you think Empress Mother would visit today?" Despite her constant negligent behavior towards him, he was still wishing for his mother's attention. He was on high alert; waiting for even just a glance of his mother. The rain was starting to pour harder, muddy clouds covering the once blue sky.

"I doubt it. It's raining." Osamu replied in a monotone voice, paying no mind to his sighing brother. Atsumu lets out another long sigh, grumbling loudly. 

"I want to see mother." Like a child having a tantrum, he grumbles even more. 

"You can't. Emperor Father forbade us from leaving the imperial palace because of the arriving storm." 

This was ticking Atsumu off. Osamu could say that because their mother loved visiting him, but what about Atsumu? He rarely saw his mother, and now the storm made it impossible to see her. She resided in the Hyacinth Palace, which was fifteen minutes away form the entrance of the Imperial Palace. 

"Fine! Whatever. I'll go back to my room." Growling lowly, he turns his back on his brother and exits the room noisily, slamming the door close. It was cold again for Atsumu. All he wanted was his mother's love. Even if it was just a small portion of the love their mother gave to Osamu, he would still gladly accept it. 

For his mother, he would even give up the Imperial Crown. 

Entering his room, he takes a wooden stool and drags it towards the window sill, propping his arm on the window sill as he rest his chin on his palm. Rain pelted on the glass-paned windows, the scenery turning blurry. 

Poor him. 

It was understandable for him to pity himself, right? 

Before he could wallow in his own self-despair, a person burst through his room, sobbing uncontrollably. 

"Who—" He was taken aback by shock. 

"Empress Mother..." He gasps audibly, his jaw dropping. "Empress Mother, why did you—" 

He wasn't able to finish his sentence because his mother engulfs him in a tight embrace, sobbing onto his clothes. His mother was littered with bruises. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were ragged, as if it was grabbed and pulled. 

"Empress Mother, what happened?" She looks up from crying on his chest, her tearful brown eyes gazing at him sadly. Her delicate hand, the same hand that would pat their heads before tenderly, caressed his cheek, much to his surprise. 

"My son..." Atsumu felt ecstatic to hear that, and a little bit guilty because he felt happy while his mother was sad. Was he finally being acknowledged? "I truly loved your father, you know?" 

"Empress Mother.." She stroked his cheek with her fingers, lips turning up in a smile. 

"I loved him so much I had you two." Her smile was gentle, like she was recalling a fond memory through her continuous tears. "But that treacherous man... He couldn't just love me. Why couldn't he just love me? Was I not enough? Was that why he preferred to visit his concubines instead?" 

Atsumu felt confused and a little bit of panic. He couldn't understand what his mother was saying. 

She removed her arms that encircled his body, holding him at an arms length in a tight grip. 

"That crazy man... He killed my family because he hated me." She smiled bitterly, her grip on his arms getting tighter. 

"Empress Mother, you..." 

"You will grow up to be a monster like your father, wont you?" Everything went silent. Only the rain pouring down the rain pipes were heard, along with his mother's heavy breathing. 

"Mother....?" 

"How dare you call me mother, you horrible child?!" Her hand raises up in the air, swiping down to slap him hard on the cheek. The impact was so strong his head turned the other way. 

"Empress Mother..." Now, he was taken over by disbelief and shock. She was about to accept him, so why.... 

"You disgusting excuse for a son! Osamu should have been crown prince!!" She yells out, proceeding to beat Atsumu, who doesn't retaliate. He could never hurt his mother. 

If getting beaten was the only way for him to have his mother's attention, he would glady accept all the slaps and hits she was giving him.

"I love you, Mother." He said, earning another smack from his mother. 

"Shut that filthy mouth of yours!!" She yelled out, hitting him once more. His cheeks were turning red from her slaps, and his arms started to ache from the hits he took when she used her fan to smack him. 

Because of her yelling, the servants burst into Atsumu's room, finding him sitting down obediently whilst getting beaten. 

"Imperial Empress!!!" The maids yelled out in shock, two grabbing each arm and pulling her away from her battered son. 

"Let me go!! Let me go!!! Let me teach that child a lesson!!!!" She screamed out at the top of her lungs, flailing and struggling. She was acting out of character, which was odd. 

"What is all this ruckus?" The Emperor suddenly shows up, shocking the maidservants and knights who rushed in the room. 

"G-Glory to the—" 

"Be quiet. Atsumu, what happened to your face?" He had a blank look while he stared at Atsumu, as if he couldn't care less if he got hurt or not. 

"Imperial Father." 

"You bastard Emperor!! Give Osamu the throne!!" The empress snapped at the emperor, advancing toward him only to be held back by the panicked servants. 

The emperor's eyes turned into slits. "So it was this bitch's fault." He slaps her across the face, before gripping her hair to keep her head up. "Did I not tell you before? Weak children are of no use." 

The empress grit her teeth, growling lowly. "You wretched.—"

"Take the empress away and bring her back to the Hyacinth Palace. Get the imperial doctor to diagnose her crazy actions." He instructed the maids, who nodded in fear and dragged away the screaming empress with the knights help. 

"And you." He glared at Atsumu's face. "Fix yourself up. A Crown Prince should be dignified." 

She was getting worse. 

It was like a cycle. 

His mother would beat him to vent her anger, while afterwards he would beat people to cope with his sadness and loneliness. 

She would approach him sweetly and caress him gently just like what a mother would do, then she would vent out all her anger for the emperor out on him. 

One day, while Atsumu and Osamu were outside in the gardens, and a venomous snake suddenly jumped into their view. To protect his brother, Atsumu pushed his twin away and took out his blade, slashing the snake's body in half. It's blood dripped off his sword, and as he was about to pull his brother up from the grass, their mother suddenly appears and pushes Atsumu away from Osamu and held him close, like a mother cat protecting its kitten. 

He could remember her words clearly. Trembling before him, eyes full of hatred and contempt, holding onto Osamu as if she was protecting him from Atsumu.

"A psychopath, a monster, just like your father!" she yelled out, garnering the attention of everyone. "Are you trying to kill your brother? Is that why your blade is out?! Did you hurt him?! Why is there blood?!?" Maidservants struggled to pull her away, as Atsumu burned with embarrassment and anger. He wasn't even doing anything. He was just trying to protect his brother. The dead snake's carcass was visible to everyone, too, so it could be proven that he was protecting Osamu. Was he also not allowed to protect his brother? Is that what his mother meant? 

It hurt. 

It was painful. 

His mother was accusing him of a crime that he did not even commit. 

Just because he wasn't Osamu, he was the one at fault? 

If she hated their father, she should've declared it in front of him. She should have called their father a psychopath, instead of calling him that. It was the Emperor who hurt her, not him. It wasn't his fault, it was his father's. He only had the same hair color as him, but he did not do anything. 

He didn't kill anyone like his father did. He didn't beat people till they were crippled because he was bored. 

Sure, he hurt some people, but it was a duel. Who cared if someone got hurt in a duel?

He wasn't a psycopath. He wasn't a monster. 

He was just a hurt little boy who grew up without the affection of his mother. 

"Mother, please.." Osamu frowns in concern, standing behind Atsumu. "The Crown Prince did not hurt me, nor did he intend to. In fact, he saved me from a venomous snake." 

"No!!" She screamed out, lunging at them like a mad woman. Her eyes were unfocused, like her mind was clouded. "He's a monster! He tried to hurt my son!!" 

"Imperial Empress, stop this poorly educated behavior." The emperor's aide steps in to intervene, a cruel, cold look on his face. "Azure Knights, take her away!" 

"By Imperial decree, the reigning Empress will be banished to the cold palace and will remain locked in there until death!" 

And just like that, he could not see his mother again. 

It was confirmed that the empress was suffering from hysteria, and that her hysteria was so bad it was affecting her physical health. 

Over the next few months, news of her became lesser and lesser, and the people soon called her the forgotten Empress. She shifted to calling Osamu to her palace, longing for comfort from her son. Not once did she ask Atsumu to come visit her. 

Then again, that was already inevitable. 

Since she hated him. 

Humans are greedy. They get a taste of something and they instantly crave for more, even if it was poisonous. 

That was exactly how Atsumu's situation was. His mother was toxic, abusive, and degrading, but he craved and longed for her love and affection like a desperate puppy begging for attention. That sweet, sweet love she showed him when they were still toddlers, he could remember it vividly. Her smile as she called them both 'my little princes', he could remember it. 

Too bad he would never see it again. 

"It seems the Ryujin is in a bad mood." Osamu remarked, turning the page of his book. "The rain is really pouring." 

"Heh. You believe in the Ryujin?" Atsumu, who was sitting on the makeshift second floor of their personal library, scoffed. He munched on an apple as he stared out the window. "What a joke." 

A knock takes their attention, their heads turning towards the direction of the sound. "Apologies, Crown Prince Atsumu, Imperial Prince Osamu, but I have urgent news to relay." 

Atsumu frowns, his eyebrows furrowing. "Come in. Whay news is so urgent that you must step in our private abode?" 

"The Empress calls for you, Crown Prince. She wishes to see you." 

He stops. 

"Speak up. Repeat what you just said."

"The Empress wishes to see you, Crown Prince." 

"Are you telling the truth?" He glares at the knight. "Because if you are no—" 

"Tsumu." Osamu starts, still not looking up from his book. "Empress Mother is calling for you. Will you not go?" 

"... I'm going." He jumps down from the second floor of their private library, a blank look on his face as he followed the azure knight. 

The walk was quiet. The knight shileded the Crown Prince from the rain as the walked along the hallways outside, heading towards the Ooku Palace. He saw a few concubines whispering amongst themselves under a large tree, staring at the him. 

He knew what the stares meant. Contempt. Jealousy. Envy. And the emotion that was most prevalent was... Pity. 

'For the Crown Prince to have such a mother...'

He knew that was what they were whispering about. 

He wanted to wrap his fingers around their necks. Lug them across the courtyard or slap them across the face. But mother wouldn't like that, so he held back. He grit his teeth, clenched his fist, and held back. 

As they arrived at the gates of the cold palace, he bit his lip and dug his nails in his palm until it bled. 

The palace was desolate. Moss and vines covered most of the palace. The grass was overgrown and unkempt, and piles of soil and rock were scattered across the place. 

His mother, the Imperial Empress of this empire, was staying in this dirty, bleak place...? 

With only one maidservant to care for her? 

How dare they. 

"Crown Prince, we have arrived." The knight awkwardly announces, which earns a glare from Atsumu. 

"Are you stupid? Why are you announcing it to me? Announce my arrival to the Empress." He growls out, still glaring at the knight who flinched. 

"A-Apologies, Crown Prince!!" 

"Do it already!" He snapped, his frown deepening even further. 

"Imperial Empress, the Crown Prince has arrived!" Finally, his arrival had been announced. He was beginning to think that the knight was playing a prank on him.

Then again, he would be smart enough to not do anything that would greatly anger the Crown Prince, especially if it was related to his mother, unless he wanted to lose his head. 

"The Empress says you may come in, Crown Prince." A woman's voice spoke from inside the palace, opening the door. It was a small maidservant, the only maid who served the sick Empress. 

Why they called this the Cold Palace, he did not know. 

Atsumu's shock was evident on his face. This was no palace. It was just a big room, with wooden room dividers to divide the living quarters. 

In the northeast corner of the room, beyond another set of wooden room dividers, was a medium-sized bed where his mother lay down and slept. 

She was covered in plain, dull covers not fit for an Empress, and her sleeping kimono was a cheap white linen cloth. It was thin, and it didn't help her retain her body heat. 

She was pallid and scrawny, her once beautiful and elegant fingers now bony. Her cheeks were sunken, placing more emphasis on her cheekbones. She looked extremely unhealthy. 

"Mother.." Atsumu grit his teeth again, his cheeks turning red in anger. How dare they. How dare they treat his mother, the legally crowned and only Imperial Empress of Seiryu Empire, like this? How dare they ignore her, leaving her to rot in this dirty, abandoned palace. How dare they treat her as if she were lower than them.

How dare they. 

"Come, Atsumu. I want to see your face closer." She called out, stretching her trembling arm out. Atsumu catches her hand and puts it against his face, leaning into her touch. 

"Mother." He felt pained. His mother was being treated poorly like this, but instead of complaining, she resigned to it. Why? Why didn't she tell anyone? She was being treated poorly, even worse than the palace maids. 

With eyes half-lidded, she gives out a weak smile. "Why are you making that face, sweetheart?" 

It was her first time calling him that, but he overlooked it. He was extremely concerned about the condition of the palace his mother was living in right now. 

"Mother, why.. Are you just allowing this?" He held her hand to his cheek, trying to hold onto her warmth. This was a golden opportunity. 

'Remember her warmth, Atsumu. Remember her heat. Burn it into your body because she'll be asking for Osamu again next time.. She won't ask for you..' he thought to himself, biting his lip as he stared at her. 

Her breathing was weak, and her eyes were fluttering close. "Mother is sorry.. Mother feels sleepy. Mother loves you..." 

He smiles bitterly, still holding her hand. "I love you too, mother. Very much so." 

"If only.. If only you never inherited that monster's blonde hair.. Maybe..." 

She takes a light breath and closes her eyes. 

"If only.." She opens her eyes and smiles at him. "You weren't born.." 

His heart beat painfully. Of course, he was always better off dead to his mother. It was all because he looked like the emperor, that's why his mother hated him. 

And so he hated himself even more. 

"Mother, I'm..." His eyes glinted a dark golden color. It was the eyes of the emperor. 

The empress suddenly kicks up a frenzy, her whole body trembling. "No... No... Stay away from me!! Stay away from me, you monster!!" 

"Mother, please calm down!" Atsumu tries holding her in an embrace, which only makes her fuss and scream even more. Her hands fling out and accidentally scratch his face. 

"No!!! Let go of me, you cold-blooded killer!!! Guards!!! Get him out!!" 

Her only maidservant runs in from outside the palace, in a panic. She was waiting outside the door with the Azure knight who escorted Atsumu when they heard yelling and things getting thrown. 

"Imperial Empress, please calm down!!" She holds the empress, trying to soothe the shaking woman. 

"Get him out of here!!!!" The empress yelled out, bawling her eyes out. 

"C-Crown Prince..." The Azure knight stuttered out. "I shall escort you back..." 

Atsumu had a pained expression on his face. His whole existence was a mistake. If only he didn't resemble the emperor, maybe, just maybe, he could talk peacefully with his mother. Without her fearing him, without her hurting him, without her hating him.

He took one last look at her. Angry, loathful eyes filled with fear. "... Fine. Let's go now." 

He smiled bitterly. "I love you, Mother." 

It was a gloomy, rainy day, just like the day he last met her. 

The Imperial Palace had just announced the death of the Empress. They held an abrupt ceremony, just to show formalities. The emperor only showed his face for five minutes before leaving with one of his consorts. 

He didn't even pay respects to her dead body. They only quickly lowered her casket into the six-foot deep hole before shoveling the soil on top of it. 

As the rain faltered, hail started to fall from the heavens. It was the first time in 10 years that hail fell. 

And as the people of Seiryu were such superstitious citizens, they deemed this as a bad omen. 

The attendees who attended the funeral ran back towards the town, yelling. 

"The Ryujin has been angered! The empress is cursed!! Ice is falling!!" 

"What are you doing?!" He barked out to the servants who stopped shoveling soil in fear of getting hit by hail. "Keep shoveling!" 

They flinched in fright. "Yes, Crown Prince!" 

Osamu stood unmoving in front of their mother's casket, tears dripping down his cheeks. 

"Crown Prince!" The emperor's aide quickly pulls him under a wooden shield, protecting his head from the hail. "The Emperor told me to bring you back inside!" 

"What about Osamu?" The aide glances back at Osamu, who was staring at both of them. 

"There is no space for two people. I shall fetch him after I escort you.." 

"You—!" He's cut short by his brother. 

"Atsumu!" Osamu exclaims loudly. "I'm fine. Go ahead. Father told you to return." 

In complete silence, they returned to the palace. 

Life was so unjustly unfair. 

He was alone again. In his dark room, with hail hitting the window repeatedly, he felt saturated trying to cope with the loss of his mother. 

But of course, Atsumu was the Crown Prince. He should be perfect; now flaws, no weaknesses. He couldn't vent to anyone. In an empire where being strong was power, he had to keep a straight face in front of everyone. 

Even as his mother died. Even as he watched her body get buried six feet under, his expression could never changed. 

So in the dark of his room, he wept. 

"It's so painful mother, what should I do?" He sobbed out, throwing a fit and destroying his items. It was painful, so painful. All he wanted was comfort, but alas, that was impossible to ask for. "Mother, it hurts so much. It hurts.." 

He clawed at his chest, gritting his teeth as he hurt himself. He was getting numb. His heart kept beating painfully, it felt like it would explode. 

"Mother, how could you leave me so easily like that..." He sobbed out, banging his fist on the floor until it bled. His room was a mess, like a typhoon just passed through. "I'm here. I was always here. How could you never see me at all... " 

♚♚♚

The residence was quiet. You could hear every sound of nature; the song of the birds, the chirping of the cicadas, and the steady stream of water coming from the stream from the mountain behind the palace. 

Hanamaki took that as a cue for sneaking into the Oikawa household, sliding the door open as quietly as possible. 

And as if the Dragon God was making fun of him while executing karma, he bumped into Oikawa, who had a knowing grin on his face. 

"Oya, oya, what is this?" He snickers, smiling cheekily at the frowning knight. "My personal knight, who hates it when I sneak out then sneak back in the next morning, is coming home later than me through the back door..." 

Oikawa peeks at the knight, whose collar was open, exposing his neck which was littered with hickeys and bites. His nape had a large mark on it, indicating it was an alpha who he slept with. 

His grin becomes wider, eyes turning into crescents with how much fun he was having teasing Hanamaki. "Oya? Is this the same person who scolds me for sneaking out at night??? Hm?Hmmmm??????" 

Hanamaki glares at his master. He didn't want to remember it. Matsukawa's smile. His gentle touch. The way he touched all the good parts of his body until he couldn't have enough. He wanted to forget it all. 

It was just a bad mistake."... Shut up. Just be quiet." 

He leaves, leaving the archduke confused. 

"What was that about?" He wondered to himself, tilting his head. He followed the knight, who was heading over to the kitchen. "Was the sex not good? Was his dick small???? Hhuuuuuuuuh???" 

"Stop bothering me!" 

♚♚♚

"Kei, wake up.." Tsukishima Kei groaned, covering himself with the blanket he was wrapped in. His long eyelashes fanned his cheeks, making Kuroo kiss his eyes. "Kei..."

"Hmm." He mumbled out, rolling around to face Kuroo. "What do you want.." 

The commander smiles, pouring kisses on his omega's face. He started by kissing his forehead, his cheeks, his eyes, then his lips. "Wake up, sleepyhead. It's afternoon already." 

The blonde omega jolts awake before gripping onto the alpha, groaning in pain. He almost forgot that he was wrecked to the bone last night. His ancestors must have felt the vibrations from down under from how hard they were going. 

He sighs, picking up his glasses from the side table before wearing them. "I'm slowly losing touch with the outside world.. Tch." 

It was as he said. 

If Kuroo wasn't drinking out last night, he would have probably not needed to go outside to fetch him. He's been cooped up in Kuroo's residence with no contact with the outside world ever since the first week of his arrival. 

"Kei, are you okay?" There it was again. That trivial, concerned look. Kuroo always had that look when he was about to throw a fit or ask for something unreasonable. 

"I want to go out." He mumbled, gripping the bed sheets in annoyance. He missed the outside world. He missed the scent of nature, he missed reading under big trees. Despite knowing only Prince Hinata and Sir Kageyama in this whole empire, it would be definitely better to see their faces than be caged in here. 

And he was sure Prince Hinata was looking for him. Especially since the Emperor has been giving him a hard time. 

"You went out last night.." He was starting to become protective again. His forehead was scrunched into a concerned frown, eyebrows knitted together. He sincerely couldn't understand why Tsukishima wanted to go out. He believed that it was better to stay inside, because that way, he could monitor and protect Kei from the danger outside. 

"I had to fetch you, that's different. I want to spend time outside." Kei was adamant in going outside, making Kuroo growl in response. 

"It's dangerous outside, Kei.." 

"Just what is so dangerous outside, Kuroo-san?" The omega growls back, angry at his mate. "Nothing is dangerous outside, so can you stop?" 

"Hey. Listen to me." Kuroo grips Kei's shoulders. "The Kodai are roaming as they please outside. I promise you, Kei, once I've found them all and killed them, I'll bring you anywhere you want to. Even if you want to go to Toryu, I'll bring you there." 

"The Kodai have no use of killing me. I am not the Emperor's concubine." The blonde omega slides his legs off the bed gently, running his hands through his soft hair. "Let go of me. Why are you gripping my shoulders?" 

Kuroo's face distorted into a deeper frown, his patience running thin. "You listen to me." The air was turning heavy and asphyxiating. It was choking Kei, like his lungs were being squeezed. Kuroo was using his alpha pheromones to show who held dominance. "You're safe in here. You're not going anywhere, understand? I will protect you."

"Why are you so obssessed with locking me up in here, Kuroo-san? It's not healthy for both of us." Tsukishima felt a bit scared. Kuroo's pheromones were painful. "You're hurting me." 

"I won't let you go out when it's dangerous. I won't let the mistake my father did to my mother happen again." He growls out. "I'll protect you properly. Just watch. Don't be scared."

"This is not how you protect someone! You're just caging me up!" 

"just listen to me!" 

Tsukishima scoffs, slapping Kuroo's hands away. This was sure to leave a bruise, seeing as how his shoulders ached. 

"You're suffocating, Kuroo-san." 

♚♚♚

A quiet, still night. 

Nothing but the sound of the cold howling wind blowing through the blades of grass. 

The moon was hiding behind the clouds, peeking out slightly, providing a little luminesence to the buildings below. 

Inside the Hyacinth Palace, on the second floor, in the corner-most room was the sleeping quarters of the Prince of Kinryu Empire, Prince Hinata Shouyo. 

He was tucked neatly under his duvet covers, in a deep sleep. His mouth was slightly agape, his breathing low and calm. 

A low rustle sounds by his side, making his instincts jolt his consciousness awake. His brain jump started to function, listening intently to his surroundings despite his eyes still being closed. 

'Who is this..?' He thought to himself, slightly opening his left eye to take a peek at who it was. 

Before he was able to look, his mouth was covered by a hand, another dragging him off his bed and onto the floor. Hinata struggled in his grasp, kicking and wiggling around, elbowing the person in the stomach. 

The person groaned in pain. "Hinata, it's me..!" He whispered, making the prince calm down. 

'It's just Kageyama...' He sighs in relief, relaxing in the knight's hold. 

"Now, what the hell was that?!" Hinata yelled out, making Kgeyama glare at him and cover his mouth again. They were extremely close, so close Hinata could feel his breath on his neck. 

"Shhhh!!!" The knight shushes the prince, slowly moving behind the side table. "Be quiet, someone's outside." 

The prince glances outside the window. A half-moon. A starry sky. A large, wisteria tree that reached up to the stratosphere. That was all he saw. 

Turning to look at Kageyama with a puzzled look, he frowned deeply. "What are you talking about? I can't—" 

"Hinata!!" 

An arrow shoots past. Hinata was super lucky. The person drawing the bow was accurate with their shot, but the wind blew a little harder, so the arrow only grazed his cheek. 

It was as if time stopped. Shocked to the bone, the prince stood there, stoned in place. 

"What... What..." His mouth opened and closed like a fish. He could now see the person, who revealed themself from behind one of the large branches of the tall wisteria tree. The person drew their bow expertly, quickly releasing the draw string to fire the arrow. 

"You idiot!" He gets pulled onto the floor by none other than Kageyama. "Get down!!" 

Hinata barely avoided another arrow, the arrow directly shattering the glass bookshelf that held books about the empire and literature. 

Badump. Badump. 

Hinata's heart beat wildly, full of fear. The Kodai... Were in the walls of Ooku Palace again? Just how did they keep sneaking in the palace that had such tight security? 

Unless.. 

Another arrow flings through the open window, shattering a vase. Just why was that window left open, anyways? 

"K-Kageyama, what should we do?!" He panics, gripping onto the knight's flimsy night kimono in fright. 

"Just wait." He pulls a small pouch from the inside of his scabbard, holding onto a tiny rock that he scratches against his sword. It creates a spark that lights the pouch on fire, which he throws out the window. 

"Wh-What was that?!" Hinata asks, to which the knight replies with a smirk. 

"Listen closely." 

A loud explosion suddenly startles the quiet palaces alive, the smoke emanating outside a bright red color. It was a warning flare; Kageyama was taught by Iwaizumi-san to light the flare if he encountered Kodai members. 

Outside the window, the Kodai struggles to climb down the large tree.

"Ready your bows!" They heard a yell from outside, which they hurried to peek at. The head maid, Shimizu Kiyoko, along with the other maids, held a bow in their hand. A quiver was hanging from their shoulder, filled with arrows. "Fire!" 

They draw the string back, shooting the arrow at an angle that would reach the escaping assailant. 

Shimizu-san's aim was accurate. Her arrow dug deep into the Kodai's shoulder, while one of the other maid's arrow shot through the leg. 

But alas, with the desperation to live, he hobbled towards the forest across him. 

"Come on!" His fear all gone, Hinata dragged Kageyama down the flight of stairs and out into the courtyard, meeting his maidservants.

"Shimizu-san, you..." 

"Imperial Prince, we have no time to spare." Shimizu grips his shoulders, staring at his eyes intently. "Us maids are trained to protect the Master of Hyacinth Palace. We will protect this palace properly, so please, do not worry. Sir Kageyama, please keep him safe." 

"Of course." Kageyama grunts out. "Now let's go bring you to the Emperor. It's much safer with him."

"No, I doubt it's safer with him!" Hinata yells out. "Let's go to Kenma's palace, Lev is strong. He can help you."

The knight clicks his tongue, grabbing hold of the prince's hand. "Then, let's go."

They run out the gates of Hyacinth Palace, into the open area. The Azure knights must have witnessed the flare that Kageyama lit, since the whole palace was noisy. In the distance, they could see knights shooting their arrows at a running figure. It was most likely a member of the Kodai.

Leaves crunch under their feet as they head towards Kenma's palace. This side of the Ooku palace was quiet; it was the side of the Emperor that was loud. Perhaps the reason why Hinata was attacked was because they were living near the Emperor.

All of a sudden, Kageyama stops moving.

"Kageyama, what—" Once again, he's pushed to the ground, the knight drawing his blade in under a second the reflect the small dagger thst was thrown at them.

"Ugh! I missed!" The clothed figure whined out, stomping his foot. "Master would be so disappointed!"

"Hinata... Head towards Kenma's palace now.." He whispered out, approaching the Kodai member who drew his sword.

"But—"

"I said now!"

And with that, Hinata Shouyo stood up and bolted towards Kenma's palace.

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys!!!!!
> 
> I'm back!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!
> 
> It took me almost a month before I could update this omfl,,,, I thought I would go on hiatus 😩😩😩
> 
> BUT DON'T WORRY!!! Though I update super slow, I won't go on a 3 month hiatus or anything!
> 
> I'm trying to finish TME, so I'm trying to update as frequently as possible!!!!
> 
> I hope you guys analyzed and criticized in depth the personalities of the characters in this chapter today. It's crucial to their development later on~ (Not that important to the plot though, just a little revealed easter egg)
> 
> How do you guys like the story so far? Is there anything you want me to change? Please state your opinions in the comments~
> 
> And also...
> 
> I apologize for being so late in updating!!! I admit, I took a while before deciding to type up a chapter, then the first scene was so long, it was killing me jfc
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this latest update!!!
> 
> P.S: We hit 2k hits omfg!!! Thank you so much 😭😭😭😭 This honestly means a lot to me, so thank you 😭😭😭😭
> 
> I love you all and I appreciate you all! I may not be a good enough writer for you to admire, but I'm working hard to make each chapter exciting and not boring!!!
> 
> Thank you for the hits and kudos!! 💓
> 
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	21. The Moon is Bloody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! 
> 
> I apologize for the super late update! 
> 
> Notes will be down below. 
> 
> Btw, please play fuyu no hanashi before reading the sad part!!!

♚♚♚

As soon as Hinata bolted away, he refused to look back. Looking back will only increase the fear in his heart that was turning his legs soft. 

His heart was caught in his throat, trying to leap put of his mouth as he traversed towards the distant palace of Kenma. 

It was only 10 minutes away from him, but it looked so far. Was it because of his fear that everything looked so far? 

'Don't think about it. Don't. Just run!' 

Farther and farther, until Kageyama was lost to the distance. Finally, he was at the front of the gate.

It was eerily quiet. 

Then again, Kenma and the maidservants could just be hiding since there was a riot breaking out on the other side.

He pushes the heavy wooden gate open, the gate making a loud creak that echoed through the courtyard. It sent a shiver down his spine, making him rub his arms. 

"Kenma—" A hand covers his mouth, preventing him from yelling out Kenma's name. 

Panic settled deep in the pit of his stomach. Did Kageyama get hurt? Was this that man who attacked them moments ago? What should he do? 

In a panic, he turns around to flee when he catches a glimpse of the person holding onto him. 

Nevermind. It was Kageyama. 

His breath was ragged, the side of his forehead bleeding profusely. His lip was cut and his cheek had a gash. It looked like it would leave a scar. 

"Don't yell. They might hear you." He shushed the prince, who grumbled under his breath. The knight's clothes, were tattered, his rough tousling with that kodai member evident on his garment. 

"What happened to the person a while ago?" Hinata asked in a hushed voice, frowning. "Did you... Kill him?" 

Kageyama shot him a blank look before replying. "Unfortunately, no. He managed to escape from me when he managed to push me down." 

"He.. He escaped from you?" Disbelief was evident in his tone. Someone escaped from Kageyama? 

That was a feat. 

Kageyama Tobio, Commander of the Golden Knights of Kinryu Empire, was a knight who was impossible to defeat. At least that's what it was like in Kinryu. 

Someone escaped the Kageyama Tobio? 

That opponent must be more skilled than they gave them credit for. 

"Kageyama.. Are.. Are you sure we're safe?" Hinata felt his blood run cold. He was scared. The enemy escaped his knight.. What if they escaped to regroup and found them again? "We'll be okay, right???" 

He grips the side of Kageyama's sleeve, his face scrunched into a worried frown. 

"Don't—" Their conversation was cut short when they heard soft groan coming from inside the sunroom, which was west of where they were standing. 

Hinata was sure of it. 

That was Kenma. 

"Kenma!!" He yelled out, scrambling towards the sunroom where five bodies lay on the tatami-covered floor. 

A dark, crimson red. 

It seeped through the mats and spread like branches. 

Blood was everywhere. A dagger was stuck on the back of a man's chest, another on his leg. 

Hinata's stomach churned, feeling sick. It was quite a sight. "K-Kenma!!" 

The walls had scribbled writing, as if the person who wrote on it was hurrying. It was definitely hard to understand. If one squinted, it read "Koryu is strong, but their prince and his dog is weak." 

His voice laced with panic, he called for his best friend once more. "Kenma, where are you?!" 

".... Here.." A soft voice groaned out. 

His heart leaped out of his chest. "Kenma!" The prince runs towards a large closet, where he found his friend bleeding out. "K-Kenma, Kenma, what happened..?" 

"Shouyo.. Lev is.." As Kenma struggled to place his head on Hinata's lap, he coughs out blood on the floor, making Hinata panic. 

"Kenma!!" He yells out, placing his friend's head on his lap with shaking hands. His whole body trembled in fear and anxiety. He never knew he would ever see the strong Kozume Kenma bleeding and hurt. "Ka-Kageyama, what do we do...?! I.. We..." 

Their eyes catch the body sprawled out in the corner, half a blade stuck in his side. The man had snow white hair. "Lev-san is..." 

Hinata turned ghastly pale as he averted his eyes and kept his gaze on Kenma's face. You could see him struggling to stop himself from hyperventilating. 

That was his friend laying there, dead. A person he knew, a person he cherished. And now he... 

"Shouyo." Kenma slowly puts his hand on Hinata's, who was clenching his fist so hard his nails dug into his palm. "Be calm. It's okay.." 

"No it's not..." He sobbed out, trying to stop himself from breaking down. "Kageyama, please... Call someone." 

The knight suddenly frowns. "I'm not leaving you alone here when there's a possibility for you two to be ambushed." 

"Please! Kenma's hurt!" He begged desperately, his golden eyes shining pitifully. He couldn't afford to lose another one. 

Giving a long, annoyed sigh, Kageyama gives in to his request. "Stay hidden there. I'll come back as quick as I can." 

Hinata's face suddenly lights up, relief washing over him. "We'll stay hidden, I promise." 

With a curt nod, he quickly leaves, dashing out of the palace. Hinata was left in the deafeningly quiet palace. 

"Kenma..." He looks down at Kenma, only to find his eyes closed. "No, no, Kenma! Open your eyes!!" 

His eyelids flutter open, revealing tired, muted eyes. "Shouyo, why did you go here.. You shouldn't have come here." he coughs weakly, blood splattering out of his mouth. 

Hinata's lower lip trembled, feeling his heart clench painfully. "No, it's a good thing I came here. What if I didn't..? What would've happened to you..?"

"I would have bled to death." He chuckles, before coughing again. "I'm going to die, anyways.. The blade they used to stab me was laced with poison." 

"That's not true!" Hinata snaps out. "The physicians can heal you. We can even ask a Shinto priestess to pray for faster recovery. Don't be like that...." 

"They won't be able to." Kenma was stubborn with his words. 

"But why?!" Hinata felt exasperated. Why was he being so stubborn? He just wanted him to live! 

"They used my poison against me." 

"T-They what—" 

"I don't know how they got my hands on it. I never make a second concoction of my medicine for anyone else. So how.." He starts coughing violently, blood starting to drip from his nose. "Ah. It's starting." 

The prince starts to panic. "W-W-What's starting?!" He stumbles over his words. "Kenma, Kenma, stay awake!" 

"So this is where you noisy birdies were." 

Their blood suddenly runs cold. 

It was one of the kodai. 

They suck in their breaths, sitting still in their hiding spot behind the closet. 

'It's going to be fine. We're hidden. We're going to be alright.' Hinata thought as he trembled, holding onto Kenma. The kodai suddenly steps right in front of them, the cloth covering their mouth shifting as they smirked. 'Nevermind. We're screwed!' 

"Found you!" The man yelled out, unsheathing his sword. 

This can't be it, right? 

They were going to be saved, right? 

Before they could get hit by the sword, Kenma takes out a black dagger from his sleeve and parried the blade, a dark substance splattering onto the kodai's hand as the blade bounced off. 

"You..!" As the man raised his sword, he drops it suddenly while he clutched his hand. His face contorted into a painful frown. "You shitty omegas!" 

"W-W-What was that?!" Hinata stuttered out, scrambling away from the yelling kodai as Kenma spat out blood on the floor and wiped his mouth. 

"Ugh." The Koryu prince groaned out, standing up in a wobbly stance. "Stay behind me, Shouyo." 

Grabbing something else from inside his sleeve, he takes a vial out and splash he's it onto the kodai's body, the chemicals producing fire. Kenma didn't even give the enemy time to spare as he dug the dagger on his shoulder blade, extracting a loud, strangled scream from him. The dagger was laced with poison that rotted flesh. 

It was a horrifying sight to witness.   
But it was awestrucking, too. 

Once again, Kenma was saving him. 

The first time was when he was desperately looking for Kei-san's comfort and Kenma was there to help. 

The second time was when Kenma saved him from the Atsumu-san's grasp by giving him the heat pills. 

This was the third time he was being saved. 

He felt pathetic and weak. 

Both of them were omegas, but how was Kenma so... strong? 

He wanted to help. He badly wanted to offer his hand. But what could e do? 

He was a puny, weak, cowardly omega who trembled in front of enemies and relied on everyone else but himself. 

So what could he do? 

In the midst of him hyperventilating, Kenma gets thrown over by the kodai, his chest banging loudly on the floor. A loud gasp escapes his lips, feeling winded. The sword he dropped was picked up quickly as he stabbed through Kenma's stomach. 

"Kenma...!" His body instinctively moves forward as he climbed the man's back, his hands grabbing hold of the dagger stuck in his back and pulled down full strength. 

"This fucker!!" The man wailed out in pain, flinging his arms around as he took the dagger tied to his obi and stabbed through Hinata's leg. 

"Agh!" The prince hisses out in pain, clutching his thigh. He falls off the man's back, but not before he removed the black dagger from his back. 

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" The man, heaving heavily with anger, turns to strangle the incapacitated Hinata. 

That was his mistake. 

Kenma lunges forward with a grunt, smashing a nearby vase onto the man's head, who yelps and lets go of his hold on Hinata's neck. 

"Shouyo, now!" With trembling hands, he raises his arms above his head. The ebony dagger glints under the moonlight, blinding the man for a few seconds before Hinata thrusts the blade into his jugular. 

The blade sinks in, like chopsticks halving soft gyoza.

The man's eyes widen as he started to choke, struggling to breathe while he held onto the dagger. 

"I'll... Kill..... You....." He gasps out before laying unmoving. 

Hinata watches as the man lays lifeless, gazing at his hands that shook like an autumn leaf. 

He just killed someone. 

With his own hands, he killed someone. He dug that blade into a person's neck on instinct. 

".. Fuck." He blurts out, trembling in shock and anxiety. "I.. I killed someone." 

His actions finally sink in, his breath catches in his throat, throwing him into a meltdown. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." He sobs out, holding his head between his arms. "No, no, no, no, no." 

"Shouyo." Kenma huffs out, placing a bloodied hand on Hinata's thigh. "Calm down. It's okay. It's..."

He coughs, blood trickling down his mouth. "It's done. He's dead." 

Kenma, though battered and bloody on the floor, still managed to release his pheromones to calm him down. 

With that, he snaps out of his panic-induced reverie and shuffles towards Kenma. 

Tears built up, a look of forlorn gracing his usually happy face. 

"Kenma... How are you so strong?" He sobs out, shakily placing his friend's head on his lap. "I'm so pathetic. I'm useless. I couldn't help you at all." 

"Shouyo, it's okay. We're safe now." He feels war, his body being surrounded by warm pheromones that made the tears he was holding back so badly, drop.

"How are you so strong?" He stumbles over his words, his shoulders trembling as he cried. "Y-you're hurt... Don't use your pheromones, please. Don't..." 

"Shouyo, I'm fine—" He starts to cough soon after, cutting his sentence short. Blood flows out of his mouth. 

His organs already ruptured and was bleeding internally. 

"Kenma, no.. No..." He cried out, holding Kenma's head. He places his forehead against Kenma's, trying his best to release calming pheromones. "Please... Please stay awake." 

"Shouyo..." The prince smiles weakly. "You already know I was poisoned by my own poison." 

"T-Then you have an antidote, right?!" The Kinryu prince yells out, sobbing uncontrollably. "Ke-Kenma, please... Tell me where it is..." 

Blood drips out even more. "Hinata, it's fine." He winches, holding the blade stuck in his stomach. "They made a new concoction using the base of my poison.. I don't know how to extract it." 

"We-We're in the Seiryu Empire!" He panics, placing both his hands on Kenma's cheek. "This is the second strongest empire.. They can help you. So please... Stay awake." 

"Heh." Kenma chuckles out before wincing again. "It's impossible, Shouyo."

His eyes start to lose focus, his pupils dilating and contracting repeatedly. His eyelids fluttered open and close several times as he struggled to keep them open. 

You could hear him wheezing as he lowly gasped for air, crimson red blood trailing down his chin and dripping rhythmically onto the padded floor. 

"Ke-Kenma, you're bleeding so much.." Hinata wipes the side of his mouth, but more blood trickles out. "Noo, Kenma, p-please... Please stay awake.." 

Kenma smiles weakly, forcing his eyelids to stay open as he weakly grasped at Hinata's cheek. "Shouyo, listen to me."

He abides and leans down towards Kenma, ready to listen. His tears dripped on Kenma's face, rolling down the sides of his face. 

"I probably wont last for long." 

He had a sad smile on his face, like he knew he had no chance. 

"Stop saying that, Kenma.." He sobs out as the blonde starts to groan in pain, gasping and wheezing. 

"Haha.. Shouyo.... Shouyo.." Kenma starts to cry softly, one thing he didn't expect to happen. "I'm scared. I don't want to die." 

Hinata's soul feels crushed. Seeing how incompetent he was in protecting Kenma. If only.. If only he came earlier.. 

Could he have helped Kenma and Lev?

"Shouyo.. I can't see very well anymore." 

"Kenma..." 

"Shouyo, I can't see you. My vision is turning dark." He scoffs out in amazement and disbelief, tears starting to pour out of his eyes as his lower lip trembled. "Shouyo, I can't.... I can't see you..." 

"Kenma, no, no, no... Please.." He sobs out violently. "Please hold on...!" 

"They really outdone themselves by stealing my blueprints. The poison is so strong." Kenma chuckles sarcastically, tears still streaming down his eyes. "Shouyo, listen..." 

He sucks in his breath. 

"I love you." His bloody lips turn up in a smile. "I don't care if we're both omegas, I love you." 

The palace felt so quiet. So painfully quiet. You could hear the soft breeze passing through the leaves, the metal clock ticking rhythmically. You could hear the distant yells if you listened well enough. 

And you could hear Kenma struggling to breathe, his tears and blood dripping onto the mat flooring, just as how Hinata's tears pelted his face. 

The prince's eyelids fluttered again, losing consciousness. 

"No no no, please don't close your eyes!" He shook Kenma, whose eyes rolled back in its sockets from how hard he refrained to fall asleep "Kenma please... I beg of you!!" 

"Shouyo, it's getting hard to breathe." He chuckles weakly, his hand wiping at his ever-flowing tears. "Heh.. If the kodai weren't killing us omegas, I would've asked you to be mine.."

"Please.. Please don't close your eyes...." 

"Shouyo, are you crying?" He asks with a cough. "Please don't cry for me. It makes me feel bad showing you my pathetic side." 

"Don't say that! Kenma is not pathetic.." Tears continued to pelt against Kenma's face. 

Painful. It was painful. 

"Hey.. Did you know, Shouyo? I took up medicine to make a pill to change one's subgender...." 

"Kenma, no please... Hang on.." 

Kenma only chuckles while blood spewed out. "If I could create a medicine which turns one into an alpha, I would drink it and make you my mate..." He coughs even more. "Well, I'd need your approval first and I'd have to fight Kageyama-san too, though."

"Stop.. Stop!! Don't close your eyes!!" 

"Heh.. Shouyo... There's a saying in my empire.." A smile paints on Kenma's lips, as if he was in peace. Tears no longer dripped from his eyes. "Oinari and Kitsune, witness. I offer you him ruby." 

"Kenma, just wait..." Hinata sobs out. "They're close. I can feel it. Just hold on." 

"Shouyo, come close."

Hinata leans down, his warm, shaky breath mixing with Kenma's soft breath. Kenma's hand cups his cheek, a hand that felt cold. "It would've been better... If I could see your face one last time...." 

They share a soft kiss, a kiss filled with pure adoration. A kiss filled with pure love, pure affection. 

Kenma wished to convey all of his warm feelings through this kiss. 

With that kiss, he took his final breath, a smile on his face as his eyes fluttered close and his hand dropped. 

Quiet. 

It was quiet. 

So quiet, you could hear the chirping of the crickets. So quiet, you could hear the leaves dancing. 

So quiet. 

But you couldn't hear Kenma's low breath anymore. 

Instead, you could hear the loud sobbing of Hinata. 

You could hear the hurried footsteps barging in the palace. 

You could hear Kageyama yell "Hinata!!!" 

Too late. 

They were far too late. 

♚♚♚

"What do you mean, you don't know the source?!" The Emperor bangs his fists on the wooden table, fuming in anger as Advisor Osamu tried to talk sense into him. 

"It's exactly what Investigator Matsukawa said, Imperial Emperor." The Commander of the Azure Knights, Kuroo Tetsurou, quips, leaning forward. "I double checked everywhere. No trails. Nothing. We don't know the source." 

His expression was grim, his eyes sunken in and tired. He was awake all night and had no time to spare for rest because of the kodai situation. He honestly felt sensitive and wanted to snap at everyone, but he knew that not only he felt that way. 

Everyone was sensitive. It was a tough situation they were in. 

Especially with what happened last night. 

"You tell me." Atsumu seethed through his teeth. "Why were the knights who were stationed by the Koryu Prince's palace away from their posts?" 

With his gaze facing the floor, he kept his head down in shame. "I apologize, Your Highness." 

Atsumu glares at him, releasing pheromones that felt asphyxiating. "Answer my question, Commander Kuroo." 

"I do not know why the knights left their post, Your Highness. They were found dead meters away from the palace." Kuroo bites his lip, feeling embarrassment and shame wash over him like a tidal wave. How pathetic. 

"Heh." The emperor scoffs angrily. "Because of your incompetence, we now have the dead body of the CROWN PRINCE OF KORYU to deal with." 

"Well now, do you guys have an excuse for this? Do you? Huh?" 

No one dared to answer, all of them keeping their mouth's shut tight. 

"Get out." 

"Your Highness, we—" 

"I said, get out!" He yelled out, making the Kazoku stand up from their seats and pile out the exit, leaving the meeting room silent and empty. 

"Imperial Brother." Osamu started. "That was reckless. We need their help to solve this case." 

Atsumu, who wasn't paying attention to Osamu, gazed out the large, open window. There, you could see knights cleaning up dead bodies. 

His gaze furthered and landed on the Hyacinth Palace. "Wait for me, Hinata. I'm coming." 

♚♚♚

The sun shone bright despite the chaos last night, grinning down on them as if it were mocking them for their being utterly pathetic. 

Kuroo arrives home to find Tsukishima heading out the door, wearing nothing but a flimsy, white sleeping kimono. He had a concerned frown on his face as he passed by Kuroo, who stops him in his tracks. 

"Hey!" Kuroo yells, a vein popping in anger. All his pent up stress from last night's ordeal finally overflowed. "Where the hell are you going?" 

"Let me go." Kei's eyes were keen, glaring at the commander who growled and gripped his arm. 

"Tell me where you're going." He snarled in a deep tone, tightening his grip. 

"Let me go!" Tsukishima hisses out. His glare felt like daggers. It was an angry, hateful glare. Kei hated being caged. "I need to go see Prince Hinata." 

"Kei, it's too dangerous—" 

That was it. The last bit of his patience snapped as he raised his hand and slapped Kuroo across the cheek. "I am not your property."

"Kei... I...." 

"I am indebted to the Imperial Prince, and I will go to him. You will not stop me." His tone was cold, his gaze aloof and serious. Tsukishima was very pissed right now, and Kuroo knew that. 

He knew that aggravating him further could lead to him losing Tsukki... Forever. 

"Okay..." He sighed, holding his cheek. "Kei, be careful..." 

With that, Tsukishima runs out of the household, wearing nothing else but his sleep wear. 

But he didn't care. Prince Hinata needed him! 

He felt sentimental. 

He felt like he was too late. 

He abandoned Prince Hinata when he needed him just because he found his mate. 

Tsukishima wanted to beg for forgiveness. 

But first, he had to go to his palace. 

Arriving at the gates of Hyacinth Palace, he was panting heavily. He ran like he was being chased by a wild animal, so he was sweating bullets. 

"Kageyama-san." He huffed out, catching Kageyama's attention. 

"You're late." The knight's tone was solemn. He had a downcast look, as if he was disappointed in himself. "I can't comfort him. His body is rejecting it." 

"I see." He replied curtly. "Where is the Prince?" 

"In his private quarters.. He's sensitive. Please, help him." He nods as he heads inside the palace, maidservants bowing at him. They all knew who he was. He was the one that their master, Prince Hinata, would look for at night. 

Tsukishima Kei. 

He slides the shoji door open, and lo and behold.

It was a heart wrenching sight. 

Hinata clutched a bloodied red haori, most likely belonging to Prince Kenma. 

He was sobbing uncontrollably. 

You could hear the pain in his cries. It was a cry that resonated in your soul, that tugged at your heart strings. 

He could hear it in his voice. His wailing voice that was cracked and hoarse. He could hear the despair, the anger, the guilt that was laced in his blunder. 

He could see him drowning. Drowning in pain. In hurt. 

Without Kenma, Hinata felt hopeless. 

"Imperial Prince." Tsukishima steps in the room, holding his arms open. 

"Kei-san...?" Hinata raises his head in surprise, only to start crying again. "Why are you so late?! Why are you so late... I needed you! I needed you! I needed you right from the start!" 

"I have no excuses, Imperial Prince." He approaches the prince, who clings onto his garments and sobbed. "I'm here, Imperial Prince. I'm here. You can depend on me now." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOOO
> 
> I AM BACK!! YES I AM!!! 
> 
> First of all, I would like to thank you for 2k+ taps!! I'm amazed that you guys took the time to read this to the last updated chapter <3333 You all actually like reading this? 😭😭😭 I'm seriously touched!! 
> 
> Anyways, since we hit 2k taps, I decided to give a little prize~
> 
> You guys can give one of the characters Immunity!!! 
> 
> What is immunity? Immunity basically means I can't kill them off~ (Sounds brutal but it's true~) 
> 
> Kenma's death won't be the last so I'm giving you the chance to save one of the characters, but here's the twist! 
> 
> I'm not telling you which ones I'm killing, so you have to make a majority vote~
> 
> Also, you can only pick one character to save :) 
> 
> By the way, the main characters already have immunity so there's no need to vote for Kageyama, Atsumu or Hinata! They're safe, I'm not killing them. 
> 
> Also, I need help! 
> 
> Please vote. Which ship should be the endgame? 
> 
> Kagehina or Atsuhina? 
> 
> Thank you in advance for your answers!!! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I appreciate you all!! 
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	22. Hinata's Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys! Thanks for voting in the last chapter! 
> 
> I'll be announcing who won immunity and what ship will be the official ending below. 
> 
> Please take time to read the notes! 
> 
> Also, yes, I fixed the cover! It had shitty font lmao 
> 
> Credits and thanks to Sev for editing the font and background! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Rape!!!

♚♚♚

"Imperial Brother," Osamu strides quickly to match the pace of his twin brother. "Imperial Brother, must you go to the Hyacinth Palace? We have more important things than this!" 

Atsumu was adamant. He put on a thick coat, brushing past Osamu as he headed out the room. It was getting colder each day, the season turning pure white and icy. Winter was coming. 

"If you're going to follow me, piss off." The emperor snarls out, his tone dark. He needed to see Hinata. He needed to confirm he was alright. He had to comfort him. 

Atsumu knew he was blaming himself. For his incompetence. For being useless.

That's why he wanted to take away his pain. He needed to take away his pain. 

Hinata didn't need to be hurt. No, he had to be protected from the world. 

"You see what happened?" He whips his head back to face the advisor, eyes angry. "This is what happens when he's not by my side. He's weak and always targeted. He should always stay with me. He needs my protection." 

"He has a knight." Osamu quips, earning a scoff from Atsumu. His eyes held contempt and annoyance. 

"That thing?" He scoffed even more. "I did not know Imperial Prince's had such incompetent knights. Look at what happened last night. The Crown Prince and his knight died due to the knight's incompetence." 

He begins to trudge forward, pushing his twin away. "Hinata was stabbed through the leg because of his useless knight." 

"Imperial Brother, I was informed that Prince Hinata is being calmed down by his tutor, Tsukishima Kei. The tutor was adamant that no alpha is allowed in the premises." The emperor suddenly laughs loudly, facing the advisor. 

"I am the Emperor." Those simple words held weight. 

That's right. He was the Emperor. 

He could have everything go his way because he was the Emperor. 

But that also meant he had his responsibilities. 

And making sure the Koryu Empire received news of the death of their Crown Prince was one of his responsibilities. 

"Imperial Brother! We have to find ways to bring the news to the Koryu Empire without angering them." Osamu was turning desperare, going as far as blocking his brother's way with his body. 

"Did you not hear me, Osamu?" Atsumu snarled out, frowning deeply. "Figure it out on your own. Aren't you my right hand man? Do it, then." 

"Brother...!" Osamu could do nothing but bury his face in his palms, sighing profusely and he slammed his hands on the wooden desk. "Damn it all!" 

♚♚♚

"Shouyo, aren't you cold?" Kenma asks as Hinata cuddles close to him, sighing in content as he breathed out. His warm breath turns into vapor, indicating the coldness of the weather. 

"Hmm, a bit!" He replies as he and Kenma watches Yukitaka swing a wooden sword, Lev fixing his form and Kageyama grumbling to himself. The two knights were forced to teach Yukitaka how to wield a sword after he continuously bothered them for help. 

You could see Yukitaka's bright smile, overjoyed to learn. They remembered Yuki saying something about wanting to learn swordsmanship, but was forbidden from doing so because it was "only for alphas", his father said. 

"Father's are such a pain in the ass." Kenma grumbled out, opening his haori. A small, gentle smile presents itself on his thin, pink lips. "Come here, Shouyo. My haori is made with sheep wool, it'll keep us warm." 

With a grin, Hinata scoots closer and leans his head on Kenma's shoulder, humming in happiness. His nose was tinged red from the cold. "I like you a lot, Kenma. You're the first one to ever care about me this much. You're the first one to ever guide me in life." 

Kenma smiles more and wraps his arm around Hinata, placing half of his haori around the orange-haired prince's body. "I like you a lot too, Shouyo. More than you'll ever know." 

"Really? I'm sure I like you more!" He grinned at his best friend, who chuckles softly and kissed his forehead. 

"I'm positively sure I like you the most." 

Hinata wakes up gasping for air, tears streaming down his face as he clutched his chest that painfully ached. He was platonically bonded to Kenma; it was a bond only omegas could form in order to protect and calm each other. 

He could feel the blankness of his soul, like his heart was cut in half. It felt empty. 

If such things existed, he believed Kenma was his soul mate. Not an alpha, not a fated pair. It was Kenma who made him feel whole. 

"Aaahh, hnggggg!!!" He buried his head on the bed, yelling into the sheets as he sobbed uncontrollably. He felt himself shattering into pieces. 

"Kenma, Kenma..." He drawled out, pulling on the sheets of the bed as Tsukishima hurried to his side. 

"Imperial Prince." Tsukishima wraps his arms around Hinata, who struggles out of instinct. He didn't want to be touched; it was a sign of an incoming panic attack. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no.." He blubbers out, face turning pale. He grips his hair as he continued to struggle in Tsukishima's arms. "No!! No!! Stop it!! Stop it!!!"

It was starting. He was beginning to have a meltdown. 

Hinata felt like vomiting. He yelled into the pillows and grasped at Tsukishima, breath shaky from struggling to breathe.

You could hear his soft whimpers. You could feel his subtle trembles. 

In a flash, he grabs a piece of clothing hidden under his duvet. It was a red wool haori. 

"Prince..." Tsukishima could only pat Hinata's back as he cried into the clothing. 

Kei knew whose it was. It was Prince Kozume Kenma's clothing. 

Right now, Hinata was utterly beaten down by grief and anguish. His cries held pain and anger, full of sadness and regret. 

"Kei-san." He glances up at the bespectacled man, tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. "Why is it so painful?" 

"It's okay, Prince. Cry it out. You can yell if you want to. Don't keep it caged." The blonde places a gentle hand on the prince's cheek, earning a loud sob from the latter. He grips the hand holding his cheek, holding it close to him as if he didn't want to lose that warmth. 

"Why do all the people I care for have to die?" Hinata whimpers out, his tears dripping onto Tsukishima's hand. "Am I... Not worthy of being happy? Is that..... What it is...?" 

"No. I swear, you have every right to be happy. Everyone is worthy of being happy, Prince." He gathers the prince into his arms, nuzzling him like a mother protecting their child. The prince needed a safe haven, someone to depend on before he broke down. 

"Then, why?!" He sobs out, letting out painful yells that resonated throughout his whole body. "Then why am I hurting so much?!" 

Tsukishima holds Hinata's head close. "It's because you love him." He stroked the prince's head in an act to calm him down. "Because you love him, you are experiencing sadness. Through this love, you're experiencing grief. Do not fear your emotions, Imperial Prince. It's okay to let loose." 

As Kei continued to reassure the panicking Prince, he suddenly stops struggling. 

"Kei-san." It was as if he had a revelation, his eyes that used to shine so brightly losing its light. He became quiet; his sobs stopping completely. The only thing that remained was his body that trembled like a leaf. "I'm useless, aren't I?" 

He had a small, anguish-painted smile on his face that alarmed Tsukishima. 

"Prince—" Hinata starts to lose consciousness, dropping into Kei's arms. 

Irritated, puffy eyes. A red nose. Shallow breathing. 

Hinata was tired. 

Fainting was the best, because that meant he would fall into a deep sleep. A sleep so deep, he wouldn't dream. 

A sleep so deep, he wouldn't see Kenma. 

He wouldn't see Kenma's smile. His laughter. His loving nature.

His death. 

Sighing one last time, he succumbs to his unconsciousness and faints. 

♚♚♚

"Greetings to Sun of the Empire." Head Maid Shimizu bowed her head in the presence of the emperor, along with the other maids. They all hurried to line up to greet him. 

It was a sudden visit, to say. The emperor was supposed to be busy with international affairs, especially with the death of Koryu's Crown Prince in their hands. Just what was he doing here, visiting his concubine? 

"Your Highness." Shimizu kept her head bowed. "I'm afraid the Prince is not in a good form to accept visitors. He forbade any alpha's from visiting his quarters."

The emperor sneers, a vile smirk on his lips. Kageyama, who was also bowing at him, held back his anger my gritting his teeth. 

"If you had only protected him better, he wouldn't have been hurt. I wouldn't have needed to visit him." He had a dark, intimidating look in his eyes. "Now step aside, Cavalry Archer Shimizu." 

Shimizu sucks back a gasp, her irises shaking as she stepped aside. She can't stop the emperor. She just couldn't. 

"I.. I understand, Emperor. I shall lead you to his quarters." She leads the way, Kageyama at her side, who glances at her subtly. His eyes were wide and confused. 

"Cavalry Archer?" He mouthed out, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

"Shh." She mouthed back, shaking her head gently, telling him to not probe further. 

"And you." Atsumu, who was leisurely following behind them, called out. 

"Hey. I said you." Atsumu snarled out. "Are you ignoring me? Hah. Hey you, useless knight." 

Oh. So it was Kageyama he was calling out to. 

"Ah." Kageyama stops to bow at the emperor. "I apologize, Imperial Emperor. I did not know you were addressing me." 

"Tch." Atsumu clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. "You. Stop following us. I'll be the one to see him." 

"I apologize, Emperor, but I am his knight." Kageyama grits his teeth and keeps his head bowed, hiding his face that was scrunched up with a frow full of contempt. 

"And so?" His tone was condescending. "I am the Emperor. Are you saying that you'll disobey the orders of the Emperor?" 

"I..." Shimizu grips Kageyama's arm, shaking her head. He bites his lip in annoyance before he straightened up to face Atsumu. "I apologize for my rash behavior. I shall get out of your sight now." 

"Good. Get out." Atsumu chuckles sardonically, a gloating look on his face. "Shimizu, continue." 

Before they left, Shimizu glances back at Kageyama and mouths "I'm sorry.", leaving the knight standing alone in the middle of the courtyard. 

"How is he?" Atsumu asks, stepping in the entrance of the palace as Shimizu and other maids opened the doors for him. 

"He is very sensitive, Your Highness. He is seeking comfort from his omega tutor as of the moment." She replied, swiftly climbing the stairs with the emperor behind her. 

"I see." He sighs out solemnly. "My poor Hinata. I shall be the one to take over comforting him. Tell that omega tutor to get out of the room." 

Shimizu bites her lip in concern, giving a small nod to the emperor. In all honesty, she didn't want her master to be comforted by the emperor. It would only make his situation worse. 

"Sir Tsukishima, the Emperor is here to watch over the Prince." 

Tsukishima, who had Hinata's head in his lap, glanced at the door. His warm eyes that were staring at Hinata's face moments before turned cold as soon as his gaze fell on the emperor. 

Shimizu excuses herself, leaving Tsukishima and Atsumu alone in the room. 

".. I see. The Prince fainted because he got overwhelmed by his emotions. I'm afraid I cannot hand him over because he is clinging on to me." Kei replied curtly, stroking Hinata's face. "I can inform you once the Prince wakes up." 

"Heh." Atsumu clicks his tongue. For some reason, this omega pissed him off. He radiated an energy that he felt from Osamu and Kenma. "Ah. Annoying." 

"I apologize, Your Highness, but I did not catch that." Tsukishima had a stoic look on his face, as if he didn't care he was in the presence of the emperor. 

"It's fine if Hinata is asleep. Just lift his arms and I'll carry him instead." Atsumu grumbles out, staring dangerously at the tutor. As if he was unaffected by his gaze, Tsukishima looks down at Hinata and smiles, stroking his cheek gently. 

"The Prince is very sensitive with is surroundings. A small touch could wake him." 

"You're touching him right now." Atsumu points out, making Tsukishima glance up at him and retract his hand. 

"Ah, really? I apologize, I saw an eyelash on his cheek and had to brush it off." He replies curtly, pissing off the emperor. 

"You were rubbing his cheek." 

"Ah. The eyelash did not want to come off." Tsukishima had a mocking smile on his face, a smile that Atsumu wanted to wipe off. This man was far more annoying than Osamu or Kenma. 

"Just hand him over to me. He can fall asleep in my quarters once we reach it." His patience was running out, his temple starting to hurt. This man was a walking headache. Just why was it so hard to take his omega from a mere lowlife? 

"I apologize, Emperor, but like I said, the Prince is sensitive to his surroundings. Moving him to a different location with different pheromones may throw him into a fit." Atsumu could see the small, subtle smirk Tsukishima had on his lips despite his stoic face and curt demeanor. 

"You.." The emperor snarls out, approaching closer. 

"I apologize. Did I offend you in any way, Emperor?" 

That was it. His patience has worn out. With a shaky breath full of annoyance, he lifts his hand before remembering who this man was. 

"Ah. You're Kuroo's toy, aren't you?" Atsumu gazes down at him darkly, utterly pissed. 

"Yes, I am Kuroo-san's mate, Your Highness." It was like he was mocking and gloating at him that Hinata was not yet Atsumu's mate. This annoyed him even further, making him gnash his teeth. 

"Amazing how he let you out of the cage." 

"Yes." Tsukishima was unaffected by his blatant insults. He had a victorious smile on his face. "Amazing, isn't it, Your Highness? He actually listened to my request." 

Talking to this man was giving him a migraine. "... Fine. Do as you want. Don't give him to me, then."

Atsumu heads towards the door, annoyed that he just lost against Tsukishima. He was the hardest to deal with out of all the people who annoyed him. "It must be nice to be the Commander's mate, isn't it? No one can hurt you." 

"It is nice." Tsukishima gives an eye smile, one that was clearly mocking Atsumu. "Not even you can hurt me, Your Highness." 

♚♚♚

A pure white scenery, followed by a strong gust of wind. It looked like a blizzard was coming soon. 

The environment was familiar. 

"Huh." Tsukishima scoffed out, baffled. "I'm dreaming of the past."

He puffs out a warm breath of air, his breath turning into vapor as he glanced far away. 

In the distance was a family of three, getting kicked out of their house, along with all of their belongings. The mother was crying, the father was cursing, and the young child stood motionless as he stared at his mother and father. 

Several well-dressed people passed, some in carriages, some taking a walk. As they passed by they tittered and giggled and ridiculed the family blatantly. The family who just lost everything, getting insulted. The mother could only bow her head in shame, whilst the father could only grit his teeth and hold back his anger. The child watches the people with confused eyes. He wondered why people laughed at them. He wondered why his mother cried. 

"Haah..." Tsukishima chuckles angrily, staring at the scene unfolding in front. "Why am I dreaming of this now..."

It was his childhood. This was going to turn a nightmare, sooner or later. 

Just seeing his father's face was a nightmare. 

The family drags their luggage, not even bothering to call a coachman. Despite the incoming blizzard, they paved through the snow and walked down the road, towards a small inn. 

"That's the Tsukishima family, isn't it?" 

"Nobles who fell into debt. Oh dear, karma is so cruel to those who deserve it." 

The mother turns red in shame, her cheeks and the tips of her ears turning a burning shade of crimson. They could only turn a blind eye to the insults until they arrived at the inn. 

After twenty minutes of walking in the freezing weather, they finally arrived. The inn, with a small, dirty fireplace in the middle, was the definition of shabby. Wooden floor that turned dark because of dirt and grime. A gray rug that had patches of brown coffee stains. Old, beaten down zaisu's around a kotatsu that looked like it was passed down through three generations of family. 

The mother grimaced. The father sifhed. The child was stoic as he sat down at the kotatsu to warm his legs under the covers. 

"Kei, don't sit down anywhere!" His mother scolded him, dragging him away from the chair. 

They still acted like a noble despite their current situation. It was laughable, really.

"Greetings, customers. Are you here to book a room?" An old woman holding a broom emerges from one of the rooms, a kind smile on her wrinkled face. 

"Yes, yes. Just for the night. Will you be making full meals?" The father was acting high and mighty, but the old woman only smiled. 

"Yes, dear. It's on the house." She reaches up the cupboards and pulls out a key. "Here is the key to your room. I hope you find it comfortable, I just finished cleaning it." 

They soundlessly enter the room, the mother sighing as she saw more shabby furniture. 

"Honey, it's too dirty..." She complained, earning a glare from her husband. 

"Deal with it, you bitch!" 

"This wouldn't have happened if not for your gambling!" This started their fight, the small child sitting in a corner so he could ignore his parents who quarreled. 

The next day, after lunch, they traveled to the countryside into a small household. It was rickety and old, beaten down by nature. It's size greatly differed from their previous household, that could be considered as a mansion. 

His mother starts to sob once again, disgusted by the house. "This is horrible. I hate you so much for dragging us into your debt." 

His father got enraged and started to beat his mother until her face was all bloodied. 

"What are you looking at?!" The young Kei only bowed his head and scurried away, away from the chaos. 

Soon, the family got accustomed to the household, but his father turned to alcohol. He drank and drank all day, leaving the house only to drink again. 

It was like a nightmare. His mother hogged the leftover food from his father's lunch and ate it without feeding him, his father would beat him when he came home drunk and angry after gambling even more. 

On days that snow fell heavier like the day they got kicked out, his father would beat him till he bled. 

"Damn kid, mooching off us like a leech!" He used his bare fists to beat the young Kei, punching his face, his arms, his stomach. 

Kei, who silently cried while staring at his mother, asked for help. 

"Mother.." He groaned out, crawling on the floor towards his mother's foot. 

His mother gave him a short, cold look, before moving her leg away to continue sewing her husband's clothes. She didn't want to get involved; she didn't want to help him to avoid getting beaten, too. 

That was the day Kei learned that family is nothing in the face of violence. 

And he didn't need family. 

From this moment onwards, he decided to resume his studies. He holed up in his room, studying and studying until the wintery season passed. Spring had arrived, and it was time for the entrance exam of the Imperial Academy. 

He was going to do it. He was going to return, no matter what it takes. He was going to grab that scholarship and nab it for him. He didn't care if he was going to be mocked and ridiculed, knowledge was all he needed to become successful in the future. 

He didn't need love. He didn't need friendship. He didn't need family. Knowledge was all he needed. 

And because of Kei's astounding intelligence and talent in studying, he came out as the student with the highest entrance exam scores, all his subjects revealed with perfect marks. 

At 13 years old, Tsukishima Kei attained the title of the smartest scholar in the Imperial Academy. 

And his mother was ecstatic. 

His mother who once shunned and ignored him gloated with pride, hugging him and acting like a loving mother who guided him through his journey. 

"My sweet, sweet baby boy." She fawned, hugging Kei who had a disgusted expression. "I am so proud of you!" 

"Don't touch me." He shrugged her off, dusting away his new black school kimono that arrived from the academy a few days before. 

The mother gasps, baffled by her son's reply. "How dare you speak like that to your mother!" 

Kei glowered at her, pulling his arm away from her. He picked up his sashiko bag that held his few belongings and head towards the door. "I stopped considering you as my mother once you ignored father's abuse." 

Turning away from her, he exits the door of his household. His household that caused him pain, he was finally leaving it. 

It was like being reborn. 

And he wasn't going to look back. Ever. 

At the academy, life was going to be better, right? 

Right? 

TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you covering your face?" A boy whose face Kei couldn't really see gripped his cheeks, forcing him to face him. "Guys, look at him. Doesn't he smell good?" 

"Piss off!" Kei snarled out kicking at the boys who held him down. His heat was coming, which meant he was slowly loosing grip over his body. 

A month passed in the academy and he was instantly bullied. Amusing how he thought his life would get better. 

A fallen noble, attending the Imperial Academy because they wanted to continue their studies? How amusing. 

The Imperial Academy as an academical institute was just a front. In fact, it was a place to create connections with the children of the high society families. 

And none of them, the nobles of Kinryu, would allow a filthy fallen noble to study in their sacred institute without suffering. 

"Hey. Hold his arms down." The leader of the group groused out, loosening his white obi before pulling down his trousers halfway. "Damn. This is my first time doing it with a man."

"******, do it quick.. I wanna have a go, too." One of the boys holding Kei down complained, gripping Kei's wrists in a painful hold. He tries to kick the boy who was preparing to enter him, but the boy slams his fist onto Kei's thigh with so much force he felt his bone crack. 

" Augh..." Kei howled out, a gush of tears streaming down his face. His whole body trembled in fear. He knew he was strong, but this was just utterly horrible. These boys were monsters, and he couldn't get away from them. 

"Hey hold his legs so you can have him sooner!" The boy barked out, making another hold his good leg. He was successfully pinned down onto the table, left bare to get preyed on. 

"Damn... Damn... Ugh!" The boy pushed in him, his stomach churning wildly. Kei felt the need to vomit. He broke out in cold sweat, sobbing uncontrollably. 

"Let go of me.. You fuckers!" The boy ignored his violent pleas and pushed his penis all the way in, moaning out in awe and pleasure. 

"Fuck, he's so warm..." He sighed out in content, grabbing both sides of Kei's waist before he started to move. He leaned down at Kei and began licking the side of his neck. "Heh, after you guys are done, I'll bite him. I want him." 

"Fine!" One of them laughed out. "As long as you let me fuck him, it's fine!" 

The empty classroom resonated with Kei's cries and the sound of skin slapping together, mixed in with the boys chatter and banters. Kei continued to yell and cry at the top of his lungs, feeling his bottom rip apart and bleed. 

So what if he was nearing his heat? He wasn't going to lubricate for just anyone. 

"Aah... He's so fucking tight... And he isn't that wet... Fuck.." The boy moaned out, his hips slamming into Kei who struggled against the hold of three boys. 

"He's an omega in heat, isn't he? Isn't he supposed to be moaning by now?" 

"Who fucking cares? As long as I feel good I don't care." 

"Ugh.. Huhu..." Kei cried out, his back and ass aching painfully. Just because he was an omega doesn't mean he would get aroused from non-consensual sex. He was being raped, for God's sake, who would feel pleasure from that? 

"H-Hey, someone's at the door..." 

TRIGGER WARNING ENDS

"Hah??? Tell them if they want to join in, they should fall in—" In an instant, the boy is separated from Kei, a trail of pre-cum leaking out of his hole. A boy with black hair and furious eyes was holding his rapist by the collar, a dark look on his face. 

"What the hell are you doing?" The boy sneered out, a disgusted look on his face. He grabbed the sword he kept tied to his obi and started to unsheathe it, alarming the boys in the room. "Should I just kill you all?"

"Kageyama, stop!" A small boy with bright orange hair and sharp but large eyes ran into the room. "I already reported this to the headmaster." 

"I-I-Imperial Prince!" They all stuttered out, shocked and panicked. They were dead. So dead. 

"You..." The prince approached the boy that Kageyama held by the collar. With a disgusted frown, he slaps the face of the boy. "Ugh. Disgusting. How dare you do this in an academical institute? Have you no shame?" 

"I.. I... Imperial Prince, I—" 

"Shut your mouth. Look at you!" The prince glanced at his body only to see the boy's erect penis. "... Ew." 

Out of pure disgust and shock, the prince vomits on the boy's feet, horrified by the sight of a penis. 

Not long after, the headmaster arrives to take the three boys away, leaving the prince and his knight alone with Kei. 

"What's your name?" The prince had a soft smile on his face, extending his hand for Kei to grab. "I'm Prince Hinata Shouyo. The grumpy one behind me is my knight, Kageyama Tobio." 

"..." He took the prince's hand that helped him up on his wobbly legs. "... Tsukishima Kei, Your Highness."

"I see!" Prince Hinata still had a warm smile. He took off his gold haori and draped it over Kei, who was unconsciously trembling. "I'm glad I inspected the academy. Trash should stay out of an academy!" 

"Thank you.. Prince." 

That was Kei's first encounter with Prince Hinata. Honestly, it was like a dream. He was saved by the Imperial Prince, who was known to be a prince who cared for his nation. Just seeing the prince was jaw-dropping enough, but he was saved. 

" Wow..." Kei gripped the haori tightly over his body, heading back to his dorm room. 

The next day, however, was another shitty day. He was called into the headmaster's office, where his 3 assaulters sat in. 

"Tsukishima Kei. Take a seat." He forced himself to sit across his assaulters, who glowered at him from the other side. "I apologize for what happened to you yesterday, but why did you not take your medicine if you knew your heat was coming?"

Tsukishima Kei gripped his clothes, biting his lip in shame. "I don't have money to buy suppressants." 

The three boys snicker, amused by Kei's situation. The headmaster sighs and fixes his glasses. 

"I see. Well then, since both sides were in the wrong, I'm afraid I must punish you too. I will be revoking your scholarship, so you will need to start paying fees as soon as possible." Tsukishima's heart sank. All his hard work was going down the drain because of these bastards. 

"Please, headmaster, I can't lose my scholarship!" He begged, devastated by what the headmaster just said. 

"Like I said, you—" 

"Okay, I've listened to enough!" Prince Hinata bursts through the doors of the Headmaster's Office with his knight, a sour look on his face. "Tsukishima-san did nothing wrong. He doesn't deserve to be punished!" 

"But Prince, he is an omega who did not take his pills. It—" 

"Are you telling me it's the omega's fault?" He glares at the headmaster. "You're telling me, the Imperial Prince who is also an omega, that it is the omega's fault?" 

Hinata's tone was threatening. He had the power to remove the headmaster from his position. 

"I.. No, Imperial Prince. I was in the wrong." The headmaster bows his head at the prince, who grins. 

"That's what I thought!" He clasped his hands together, smiling brightly. "I want them expelled, okay?" 

"I-I understand, Your Highness..." With this, Hinata gently takes Tsukishima's hand and hums happily, relieved he was able to pull that off. 

"You don't have to worry, Tsukishima-san!" His smile was as bright as the sun, a sun that was warm and calming. "I'll help you!" 

And indeed, he did help. He supported Tsukishima throughout the whole time he studied. Tsukishima studied hard from day to night, achieving things no scholar had attained before. In the end, you could say Prince Hinata made Tsukishima the Imperial Tutor. 

Prince Hinata saved him. 

And with that, Tsukishima's eyes flutter open, revealing a dark wooden ceiling. Prince Hinata was in his arms, snuggled close. It looks like he fell asleep once the emperor left the room.

"Why did I dream of that again..." He sighed to himself, rubbing his temples before he turned to kiss the prince's forehead. 

It was a day of coping without Kenma. A day of comforting Hinata. 

He had no time to feel sentimental about the past. 

♚♚♚

Snow finally started to fall from the heavens, small white specks of frost falling onto the roof and windowsills of the houses. The Kazoku exits the Imperial Meeting Room with grim faces. 

This was bad. Investigator Matsukawa was dispatched as soon as the Kodai situation was resolved, but so far, they haven't found any leads. 

"Commander Kuroo." Advisor Osamu stops Kuroo from exiting the palace, placing a hand on his shoulder. He had a secretive look on his face, as if he knew something no one else knew. "I'm giving you a separate task. Please investigate within the knights." 

"Advisor Osamu? Why—" It suddenly dawned on him. Right.. 

"There's someone among your knights." Osamu whispered. "I saw someone snooping around the castle days before. The moonlight shone on his knight insignia."

"Then, do you want me to find him?" Osamu shook his head, sighing. 

"No. It's too hard to find a single traitor in the knights. Just ask about the Koryu Crown Prince's death." Kuroo nodded his head, bowing at the advisor. 

"I understand. Then, I'll be going." He takes one last bow before leaving the palace, heading towards the knights training yard. 

The place was loud with rowdy knights, Co-Commander Iwaizumi Hajime training the knights like crazy. 

"Look at you fools!" He yelled out, a vein popping on his jaw. He fought three knights at the same time, violently slashing forward and overwhelming the knights with sheer force. "Do you really call yourselves knights? Its three against one yet I'm still winning against you!" 

"Uwaah!! So cool!!!" Kuroo heard a man yell out, holding his cheeks as he stared at Iwaizumi full of heat. "Iwa-chan! Finish that quickly so we can go home!" 

"Be quiet, I can't focus!" Iwaizumi yelled out, gritting his teeth in embarrassment as he continued to forcefully fight the knights, tossing their blades out of their hands using just his blade until they were all rendered unmoving. "Tch. Weak."

"Iwa-chan!" The man in white clothing runs towards the panting knight, wringing his arms around the knight's body and embracing him tightly. "Sweaty Iwa-chan smell.. Waah, smells amazing~" 

"Hey, you—!!!" Iwaizumi pushed the man's face away, getting embarrassed further. "Stop that, you kinky pervert!" 

"Iwa-chan~!" The man continues to cling onto Iwaizumi, so Kuroo had no choice but to clear his throat to get their attention. "Oya? Who is this?" 

Iwaizumi turns around to come face to face with Commander Kuroo, who had a funny grin on his face. "I see you've been training the knights like a devil since the situation was resolved. This is..?" 

"Ah." Iwaizumi pushed at the man's face, ripping him away from his body. "It's Oikawa Tooru. Don't mind.. this." 

"Mou, Iwa-chan! That's offending!" Oikawa fumed out, pouting like a kid. 

"Ah, I see..." Kuroo held back his laugh. "I dropped by to ask if you know of any knights who saw the Koryu Prince's death or at least those who stood guard near his palace." 

"No one saw the death of the Prince because the knights who stood guard were killed." Iwaizumi sighed, rubbing his nose bridge. "But if I recall, I placed two knights near the palace. Perhaps they know something." 

"Alright, call them over." 

"Understood, Commander." Iwaizumi bowed and yelled for the two knights, his eyes fierce. Oikawa watched with awe as he gripped Iwaizumi's sleeve. 

"Knight Yahaba Shigeru greets the Commander!" "Knight Kunimi Akira greets the Commander." Both knights pressed their hands at their chests and bowed at Kuroo, who chuckled. 

"Lift your heads, knights. I have some questions to ask you." The knights lift their heads, a serious look on their faces. 

"We will answer with utmost honesty, Commander." 

"Alright. Where were you when the Kodai started attacking?" 

"Fighting in the east wing near the Prince's palace, Sir!" Knight Yahaba replied, a hand still on his chest. 

"What happened when you were fighting?" Kuroo asked, crossing his arms. Iwaizumi stood behind Kuroo, trying to ignore Oikawa who was all over him. 

"We had to go in combat when we saw Kodai members heading towards the Prince's palace. They used daggers and katanas." This time, Kunimi replied, a blank look on his face. 

"I see. Double wielders, huh." Kuroo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Do you know—" 

"Commander!! Commander!!!!" Another knight comes running at them, cutting their conversation short. 

"Huh?" Kuroo frowned. He didn't like being interrupted. "What is it, knight?" 

"Our messenger had just received a message! We!! We!! An envoy from the Koryu Empire is coming!!!" 

♚♚♚

"Hahaha.." A man clad in black chuckles sinisterly, unable to hold back his amusement and laughter. Aah. This was it. This was exactly what he wanted. "Yuta, come here." 

The man beckoned Yuta, who kneeled before his master, to come closer. 

"Yes, Master." He sighed happily, scooting closer. 

"Good job, Yuta." His Master places his hand on Yuta's head, making the latter flush in happiness. Yuta takes the man's hand and places it by his cheek, leaning against his hold. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the bliss he was experiencing. 

"Master, please call my name once more." He shifted his face and kissed his master's palm. 

"Yutaka." The man chuckled. "I'll call your real name once we kill them all."

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty!! That's it for this chapter!!
> 
> Damn it's a pretty long chapter so I had a bit of a problem typing this dkkddkdkd
> 
> Anyways, announcing the winner of the immunity (I gathered this from AO3 and Wattpad votes).....
> 
> Tsukishima Kei wins
> 
> And since he won, I'll tell you something else.
> 
> Yep, you actually saved him from my hands. Good job! Kei avoided his death ^^
> 
> And the ship who won is...
> 
> Kagehina!
> 
> Combining votes from AO3 and Wattpad, Kagehina took the lead with 24 votes and Atsuhina with 22 votes.
> 
> Don't worry, though, this just means that the official cannon ending ship of TME is Kagehina, but I'm still making an alternate ending for Atsuhina.
> 
> Thank you for all your votes! It helped my indecisive ass to choose hshshs
> 
> Thank you for reading TME! I appreciate you all!
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss  
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	23. Character Archive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry, this is not a chapter update shshshs I just wanted to introduce all of the characters we have.

♚♚♚

Ryu Continent "Land of the Dragons" Empires:  
Period: Edo Period, Year 1762

1\. Toryu Empire  
Kanji: "winter dragon" 冬竜  
Religion/God: Kuraokami (闇龗) - dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow  
Clothing: Ice blue or white haori and nagagi made out of alpaca wool, with necklines laced with wolf fur. Clothing is generally made out of thick cloth, with the hakama close-ended at the ankle.  
Description: They are known for their fierce 8-month long winter, and their harsh blizzards. They have the most advanced military equipment and strategy, already building prototype matchlock firearms. They are the strongest empire in terms of military strength but have no interest in participating in any of the events happening in the Ryu Continent. They are abundant with diamonds and rare minerals.

2\. Seiryu Empire  
Kanji: "azure dragon" 青龍  
Religion/God: Ryujin (龍神) - god of Ryu Empire and dragon god of the sea  
Clothing: Summery clothing, full of blues and greens. More on silk and synthetic fiber cloths.  
Description: They are known for their tyrannical emperors that conquered many surrounding lands, expanding the territory of Seiryu. They are the second strongest empire in the continent and are abundant with aquatic life and lapis.

3\. Koryu Empire  
Kanji: "fire dragon" 紅龍  
Religion/God: Amaterasu (天照) - goddess of the sun  
Clothing: Thin, plain clothing. Uses a lot of red and dark, earthy tones.  
Description: They are known for their fiery military prowess, especially their special archer force. They have a lot of volcanoes and have a longer, hotter summer due to being closer to the equator. They are the third strongest empire and have an abundance of land livestock.

4\. Kinryu Empire  
Kanji: "golden dragon" 金龍   
Religion/God: Amaterasu (天照) - goddess of the sun  
Clothing: Thin, sheer clothing. Uses a lot of bright colors such as yellow and orange, the colors of the sun. Their haori's are usually translucent.  
Description: They are known for the friendly and helpful nature of the citizens of Kinryu and their month-long festivals. Their expertise is crafting complex and intricate jewelry and have a way of crafting that is only passed down to Kinryuans. They have an abundance of gold and silver, which are made into intricate jewelry. They have a lot of farmers and merchants due to their fertile lands.

5\. Suiryu Empire  
Kanji: "emerald dragon" 翠龍  
Religion/God: Fujin (風神) - god of wind  
Clothing: Thin, soft clothing made out of linen woven with some cotton. Uses a lot of earthy tones.  
Description: They are known for their gentle natures and pacifism. They are abundant in gems and silk, with a lot of jewelry and cloth merchants. They have a balanced summer and winter solstice, and have fertile lands. They have the highest export and trade rate in the whole continent.

6\. Kokuryu Empire  
Kanji: "black dragon" 黒龍   
Religion/God: Daikokuten (大黑天) - god of great darkness   
Clothing: Semi-thick clothing made out of wool, cotton or linen. Uses dark colors, mostly white or black.  
Description: They are known to produce the best ninjas and imperial tutors. They are advanced in academic teachings due to the wisdom passed down by the previous generation emperors. They are known as quick and curt people, and have an abundance of coal and oil.

7\. Hakuryu Empire   
Kanji: "white dragon" 白龍  
Religion/God: Kuraokami (闇龗) - dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow  
Clothing: Summery and spring see-through clothing. Despite being a part of Toryu Empire, they have an insanely different weather, which is a mystery that is yet to be solved.  
Description: Not much is known about this new empire.

♚♚♚

Toryu Empire

Name: Bokuto Koutaro  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: Very lively and noisy, is very attached to Keiji

Name: Bokuto "Akaashi" Keiji  
Age: 23 years old   
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: A gentle and compassionate empress with a burning hatred for Miya Atsumu

Name: Eita Semi  
Age: 23 years old   
Gender: Male/Sub Alpha  
Position: Emperor's Force Commander  
Notes: Semi is scared of doctors

Name: Sawamura Daichi  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Winter Knights Commander  
Notes: A stern commander who is subservient to his mate

Name: Sawamura Koushi  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Klinefelter Omega   
Position: Winter Knights Co-Commander  
Notes: Power and chaos. That's it. True chaotic evil. 

Name: Hoshiumi Korai  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Sub Beta  
Position: Cavalry Archer Captain  
Notes: Small and bouncy, filled with a burning hatred for Miya Atsumu. Idolizes the Empress of Toryu.

Name: Hirugami Sachirou  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Beta  
Position: Emperor's Advisor  
Notes: You can never find him away from Hoshiumi

Name: Takanobu Aone  
Age: 25 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha  
Position: Imperial Knights Strategist  
Notes: He's just really quiet

Seiryu Empire

Name: Miya Atsumu   
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: He probably has a few screws loose and is too obssessed with Shouyo

Name: Hitoka Yachi  
Age: 21 years old  
Gender: Female/True Omega  
Position: Former Imperial Empress  
Notes: Small and cute like birb

Name: Miya Osamu  
Age: 23 years old   
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Emperor's Advisor   
Notes: Smart and cunning. Can deal with Atsumu's tantrums pretty well.

The Kazoku

Name: Kuroo Tetsurou  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Azure Knights Commander  
Notes: Rooster head who ignored cute bebi catto for fairy ass

Name: Shirabu Kenjiro  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/True Beta  
Position: Imperial Doctor  
Notes: Tired of life, dead inside, and always drinking coffee

Name: Ushijima Wakatoshi  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Imperial Knights Strategist  
Notes: He loves his mate a lot. Like, a lot.

Name: Iwaizumi Hajime  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Beta  
Position: Azure Knights Co-Commander  
Notes: He's a beta but he's Oikawa's Alpha. Periodt.

Name: Matsukawa Issei  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Imperial Investigator   
Notes: Wants that sweet fragrant beta ass of Hanamaki

Name: Koganegawa Kanji  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Azure Knights General  
Notes: Fast hands. Already marked his mate AND got him pregnant.

Others

Name: Kunimi Akira  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/True Beta   
Position: Azure Knight  
Notes: Not much is known.

Name: Yahaba Shigeru  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Sub Beta  
Position: Azure Knight   
Notes: Not much is known.

Name: Shimizu Kiyoko  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Female/Sub Alpha  
Position: Cavalry Archer Captain  
Notes: BOSS LADY YAAAAS POP OFF GIRL

Name: Tanaka Ryuunosuke  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha  
Position: Azure Knight Lieutenant  
Notes: Mates with Shimizu Kiyoko but can only marry her once he becomes Knight Captain

Koryu Empire

Name: Kozume ???  
Age: 32 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha  
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: A strict emperor, name is not yet known

Name: Kozume ???   
Age: 28 years old  
Gender: Female/Sub Alpha  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: Nothing is known

Name: Kozume Kenma  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega   
Position: Crown Prince  
Notes: A cold-hearted prince who studied chemistry and pharmacy. Aspired to be a pharmaceutical scientist. Deceased.

Name: Haiba Lev  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Crimson Knights Commander  
Notes: A giant in terms of height, but very friendly and playful. Has foreign blood from a different empire. Got separated from his sister. Deceased.

Name: Satori Tendou  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega   
Position: Imperial Cook  
Notes: A playful cook who cracks jokes most of the time

Name: Ukai Keishin  
Age: 32 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha   
Position: Cavalry Archer Captain  
Notes: Not much is known

Name: Akinori Konoha  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Beta  
Position: Crimson Knights Co-Commander   
Notes: Not much is known

Kinryu Empire

Name: Hinata ???   
Age: 44 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha  
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: A big bastard

Name: Hinata ???   
Age: 39 years old   
Gender: Female/Dominant Omega  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: A gentle, loving Empress. Loved by the empire. Had a weak body. Deceased.

Name: Hinata Shouyo  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/True Omega  
Position: Imperial Prince   
Notes: A big ball of sunshine that smells like a summer breeze. Our protagonist

Name: Hinata Natsu  
Age: 8 years old  
Gender: Female/True Alpha  
Position: Crown Princess  
Notes: Yes, I aged down Natsu.

Name: Kageyama Tobio  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/True Alpha  
Position: Golden Knights Commander  
Notes: Tsundere

Name: Tatsuki Washio  
Age: 28 years old  
Gender: Male/True Beta  
Position: Emperor's Advisor   
Notes: Not much is known

Name: Tsukishima Kei  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Klinefelter Omega  
Position: Imperial Tutor  
Notes: The definition of ethereal beauty

Name: Nishinoya Yuu  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Sub Beta  
Position: Golden Knights Co-Commander  
Notes: Small but terrible

Suiryu Empire

Name: Yamaguchi ???  
Age: ???   
Gender: Male/Sub Alpha  
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: None

Name: Yamaguchi ???  
Age: ???   
Gender: Female/True Beta  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: None

Name: Yamaguchi Tadashi  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Beta   
Position: Crown Prince  
Notes: Not much is known

Name: Kita Shinsuke  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Neutral Alpha  
Position: Emerald Knights Commander  
Notes: The definition of perfect. Could probably take over the world if he wanted to.

Name: Sakunami Kousuke  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Klinefelter Omega  
Position: Earl/Hakushaku  
Notes: A sweet boy, periodt

Name: Himekawa Aoi  
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega  
Position: Viscount Successor  
Notes: Yukitaka's half brother. Deceased.

Name: Yukitaka Izumi  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega  
Position: Commoner  
Notes: Hinata's best friend

Kokuryu Empire

N

ame: Suzumeda Kaori  
Age: 26 years old  
Gender: Female/True Alpha   
Position: Imperial Emperor  
Notes: We badass gurl

Name: Suzumeda Yukie

Age: 25 years old  
Gender: Female/True Omega  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: Not much is known

Name: Sakusa Kiyoomi   
Age: 23 years old  
Gender: Male/Dominant Omega  
Position: Emperor's Advisor  
Notes: Hates his omega subgender so much, he pretends to be a True Beta

Name: Oikawa Tooru  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/True Omega   
Position: Archduke  
Notes: Obsessed with Iwaizumi Hajime

Name: Hanamaki Takahiro  
Age: 24 years old  
Gender: Male/Sub Beta   
Position: Raven Knights Co-Commander  
Notes: Annoyed as fuck at Oikawa

Name: Ennoshita Chikara  
Age: 22 years old  
Gender: Male/Sub Alpha  
Position: Raven Knights Commander  
Notes: Not much is known

Hakuryu Empire

Name: Hitoka Yachi  
Age: 21 years old  
Gender: Female/True Omega  
Position: Imperial Empress  
Notes: Founded the Hakuryu Empire.

Not much is known about Hakuryu.

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's it!
> 
> If you guys have any questions, feel free to comment. I apologize if you thought this was a chapter update!!


	24. An Envoy from the North

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry for taking so long! 
> 
> Here is the new update. It's pretty short, so I apologize 😔

♚♚♚

Despite being in a meeting a few hours before, they suddenly were called back in the room. Commander Kuroo's face was grim, as if he heard something horrible. 

"So." The whole room was deafeningly quiet. The emperor intertwines his fingers and places it on the wooden table, leaning his whole weight forward. He sat at the head of the table, looming over all of his subordinates with an icy glare. "What were you saying, Commander Kuroo?"

Fierce, cold wind blew the windows open, making Advisor Osamu slam them shut. Snow melted into the floor, leaving it slippery. 

"Our messenger has brought news. Koryu Empire had caught wind of the death of their Crown Prince and is marching to our gates at this moment." Kuroo had his head bowed, not wanting to meet the eyes of the emperor. He was sure he would meet eyes that could kill a man out of fright. 

"I see." Atsumu scoffed, leaning back in his chair. He was beyond pissed. Someone leaked the death of Kozume Kenma to his empire. "When do you suppose they will arrive?" 

Kuroo gulps before answering. "... Tomorrow afternoon, Your Highness." 

Everyone watched in silence as Atsumu's jaw popped, gnashing his teeth loudly as he slammed his fists on the table. He was fuming. You could see it with the way his chest heaved up and down with ragged breaths. 

"Who the fuck leaked it?" He snarled out, placing his head in his palms. There was no way to avoid what was coming, now that the Koryu envoy were only a day away. 

Matsukawa also bows his head, biting his lip in shame. He clenches his fist so hard, his nails digging into his flesh and drawing blood. "We... Do not know. I apologize, Emperor. I overlooked this." 

Atsumu sighs angrily. "Useless bunch. All of you." He rubs his temples, trying to calm himself down. "Whatever. Prepare the knights in greeting the envoy tomorrow. There's nothing we can do about it anymore." 

They all bow before placing their hand over their chests. "Understood, Emperor."

"Meeting adjourned." The atmosphere was dark and dreary as they exited the meeting room, pouring out the door. 

"Ugh. Fucking hell..." Iwaizumi felt just as annoyed as Atsumu. More trouble. They were in more trouble. The Kodai sure knew how to pick a fight with them. 

It was like they were pulling them by the strings. Just like wooden puppets. 

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa, who was waiting behind one of the pillars, popped out to cling on him. He had a happy, affectionate look on his face as he stared at Iwaizumi with a smile. "Kiss, please." 

Iwaizumi sighs and rolls his eyes, hugging the omega back and kissing his forehead. "So childish. Anyways, is your ankle healing well?" 

"Hm?" Oikawa looks up at Iwaizumi and laughs. "No need to worry. I'm perfectly fine!" 

"Oikawa." The knight had a stern look on his face. "You don't need to pretend to be fine. You can tell me if it hurts or if you're scared." 

"I.." He averted his gaze, his lips twitching. "I don't wanna talk about it." 

His whole body trembled. He was still affected from yesterday's events. 

"Alright, I won't pry. Where's Hanamaki-san?" Oikawa chuckles, his hands still shaking as he separated himself from the knight and held his hand instead. 

"Of course, I escaped him!" Iwaizumi threw a glare at his way, sighing again. 

"You should stop worrying Hanamaki-san and let him guard you." The knight shrugs off his haori, placing it over Oikawa's shoulders. "You're shivering. You should have worn thicker clothes if you wanted to visit me." 

"Won't you be keeping me warm, though, Iwa-chan? ~" He had a knowing look on his face, which Iwaizumi replied to with a sturgeon look. 

"We can't, Tooru. I have work." He sighs and starts to walk towards the knights training yard. 

"Wait." They suddenly stop as Oikawa halted in his steps, freezing in place. 

"What is it this time?" Iwaizumi had an exasperated look on his face, staring blankly at Oikawa. 

"Did you just call me Tooru?" He had a knowing look on his face. 

"Oh no no." He held up his arms to barrack himself. "Don't—" 

The omega pounces on the knight and wraps his arms and legs around the knight's body, clinging onto him while kissing him deeply. "Iwa-chan! Call me Tooru again!" 

"Hey, stop.." Iwaizumi felt embarrassed as the maids passing by stared with their mouths agape. "Your ankle, Oikawa.." 

"Hey." From happy to serious, his facial expression switched out quickly. "Stop it. Don't bring it up." 

".. Fine. But just so you know, I'm still bringing you back to Hanamaki-san." 

"EHHH?!" 

♚♚♚

"Hear ye! Hear ye! A delegate from the Koryu Empire is arriving!" The town crier hollered out, ringing a bell that echoed throughout the sleeping city. It was the break of dawn; roosters started to caw at the heavens and do their daily routine of waking the slumbering people. 

The snow had fallen quite quickly despite only starting a day ago. It was already one foot in thickness, making it hard to pass without sinking ankle-deep into the snow. 

It seemed like this winter would be harsher than the previous one. It was possible for a snowstorm to happen, seeing as how strong the wind was already blowing despite only marking the start of snow fall. 

Atsumu, who sat quietly in his private office, gloomily stared out the window, watching the town crier passionately doing his job despite the freezing weather. 

"So they still have the strength to march towards my empire despite this shitty weather, huh?" He clicked his tongue, tapping his fingers on his wooden table to project his annoyance. How soothing it would be to have Hinata at his side at the moment. "Osamu, prepare the knights. Inform them all to stay on guard." 

Osamu's eyes widen. "Brother, are you perhaps insinuating that.." 

"It means what it means." He sighs, rubbing his throbbing temples. Everything was giving him a headache nowadays. He honestly needed Hinata by his side. Only with him was he truly at peace. 

"I see." Osamu turns quiet as he stared out the window. Outside were people on horses galloping in the distance, going as fast as they could. "I shall relay it later. For now, we have to deal with them." 

"Tch. They've arrived." Atsumu's eyes glowered at the sight he saw in the distance, standing up from his seat. "Go and change your garments. I'll go fix my clothing, too." 

He quickly turns and heads towards his chambers with palace maids scurrying behind him, entering his room. "Use the official clothing used for meeting delegates." 

"Understood, Your Highness." They were quick to get him dressed, adding a few more layers to keep him warm from the harsh cold. An Emperor always needed a strong body. They could not afford to be sick. 

As soon as he was done, he exits the room, Osamu already waiting outside the door in order to escort the emperor. Kuroo, who was surprisingly up and about already despite it being dawn, followed suit behind both of them. His eyes looked tired and sullen, as if he wasn't getting any sleep. At this rate, he could pass off as Shirabu's brother with how deep his eyebags were. 

"Kuroo. It's surprising that you're present at this ungodly hour." Atsumu muttered out, slightly shocked and amused that Kuroo was here. 

"I know, right?" Kuroo wasn't that amused as he chuckled dryly. "My mate left my side to help his prince. It feels like I've been left with blue balls, but worse." 

"Shut your uncouth mouth right this instant. A knight informed me that they're at the gates already." Kuroo rolled his eyes and continued to follow behind them as they entered the throne room, situating himself on the left side of the throne while Osamu stood at the right. Atsumu, of course, sat at the center, crossing his legs and resting his elbow on the armrest, leaning his cheek against his fist. 

"What does the arrival of the envoy have to do with me shutting my mouth?" The commander asks, blatantly annoying the advisor so early in the morning. Osamu side-eyes Kuroo, harrumphing. 

"With terrible language manners, it's best to just keep your mouth shut rather than allowing it to run amok." The advisor smirks smugly as the commander snarls under his breath, glaring back at he former. 

"Why you..." The emperor slams his foot on the ground, his geta clacking loudly on the floor which resonates throughout the whole room. 

"Enough. Shut it." He grumbles out, making the commander suck back his insults and shut up. 

"The envoys of Koryu Empire have arrived!" In a loud, booming voice, the knights standing guard outside the shoji doors announce the arrival of the envoys, opening the doors wide for them to enter the room.

Animosity and anger brewed between the emperor and the envoys, with the envoys bowing deeply to pay their fake respects to the emperor of Seiryu Empire. 

"Glory to the Sun of Seiryu Empire." They showed reverence, a fierce look on their faces as Atsumu stared down at them with a cold look. 

"Do raise your heads. It's only right to treat you as guests of honor." He chuckles smoothly without taking his eyes off the envoys. Everyone knew what was happening. 

The emperor was sizing them up to see if they would retaliate in anger. 

"Haha, I see. May I request one thing, Emperor?" One of the envoys spoke up, a mocking smile on his face. 

"Go on. I shall hear it." Atsumu responds lazily, flicking his hand at them which made them grit their teeth. 

"Shall we get to the point, Imperial Emperor?" The envoy who spoke up before clenches their first, giving a smile to the emperor who smirked. "We had received news that our Crown Prince has died due to an inside conflict related to the Imperial Family."

"From who did you receive this news?" He replied in a monotone voice, still resting his cheek against his hand. He stared directly at the envoys who looked like they were about to explode in anger. 

"Are you making a mockery out of our empire?!" The oldest envoy yelled out, a vein popping on his temple. The two younger ones held him back and calmed him.

The youngest bows at Atsumu, a hand on his chest. "I apologize, Sire. Of course, we received news from the envoy you sent." 

"Envoy?" Atsumu raised an eyebrow. So this was the kodai's doing, huh? How amusingly annoying. "We did not send any envoy. We were planning to send an official letter today yet we learned you were already heading towards the palace." 

"Are you telling us we guessed the death of our own Crown Prince?!" The oldest, who looked like he was in his sixties, yelled loudly, his stout body heaving heavily as he pointed at the emperor. "How presumptuous!" 

"I am not insinuating anything." Atsumu glowers at the three, his nostrils flaring. He was definitely trying to be patient, seeing as how he still sat on his throne instead of strangling them up front, but they were testing his patience repeatedly. It was starting to run thin. "I have only stated that the news you received from that envoy was not sent by us." 

"Stop ignoring the the topic at hand! Give us the reason of death of our poor Crown Prince!" The old man barks out, the younger ones still trying to hold him back, but to no avail. 

"He was killed by our enemies." The emperor replies curtly, a dark look on his face. "We are currently searching for the perpetrator. Do rest assured that we will exact justice for his death." 

"Hah! How horrible this empire is! You cannot even get rid of a few enemies or tighten security!" The old man scoffs, Atsumu's dark look suddenly being directed at the old man. 

"Watch your mouth, you Koryuan envoy." He seethes through his teeth, glowering at the envoys who were taken aback by how concentrated and heavy his pheromones were. So this was the raw, suffocating power of Emperor Miya Atsumu. "We have given him a Seiryuan casket for now. Do rest for a night before you leave tomorrow. One of my knights shall lead you to the quarters you will reside in." 

"How dare you brush the death of our Crown Prince off! Are you trying to ignore your responsibilities?!" Atsumu slams his fist on the armrest of his throne, his eyes full of contempt. 

"What more do you want me to explain?" He growls out, his patience about to snap. "Your Crown Prince is dead. There is no further explanation other than he was assassinated."

"Then take responsibility and compensate for his death!" This is what made Atsumu chuckle. So much for their shitty acting. 

"So this is what you were after." He laughs sardonically, shaking his head. "You should've just told me that to the start. You wasted my time proclaiming your anger about your dear Crown Prince's death when all you wanted was to be compensated." 

"You..!" The envoy turned red in embarrassment and anger, appalled to be humiliated in front of a lot of knights. 

"Do not address me as 'you', you wretched Koryuan scum. Your Crown Prince has died and yet all you could think about was money." Atsumu snarled out, his nostrils flaring as he glared down at the envoys. 

"W-We do not need money!" They blubbered out in a panic. "We request your rare gems." 

"They're rare for a fucking reason, genius. Five thousand gold, take it or leave it." The room turned quiet, filled with shock. Five thousand gold? That was such a large sum for compensation!

"F-Five thousand gold...?" The envoys stuttered out., taking a step back. 

"Yes. Five thousand gold. Do not tell me that is still not enough?" Atsumu stared at them. "Do you wish to be killed by me, right at this spot?" 

"N-No, Sire..." They all went quiet. They could not say anything back or complain and nitpick about something else. That's how strong the presence of his threat was. 

"That is good. Now, Commander Kuroo shall see you out and escorts you to your sleeping quarters for the day." He flicked his hand to shoo away Kuroo, who walks away from his side and approaches the envoys. 

".. We give our thanks to the Sun of Seiryu Empire." With one last bow, they are escorted out of the throne room, disappearing behind thee closed doors. 

"Your Highness!" As soon as they were gone, the quiet Osamu suddenly speaks up. "Why in the world did you give them five thousand gold? Are you trying to run the empire's finances dry??!" 

"Ah, quit with your nagging." He sighs, placing his face in his hands. It was only 7 in the morning yet he already felt drained. "Giving them that much amount of gold will shut them up quick." 

"I really can't agree with this ridiculous amount." Osamu grumbles out, clenching his fists to prevent himself from strangling Atsumu. "Do you have a few screws loose?" 

"Yes I do." Atsumu replied so quickly that it was actually quite amusing. "And you are going to have to suck it up and agree with this ridiculous amount, anyways. Orders of the Imperial Emperor." 

Osamu gives a dead tired look to Atsumu. "I can't deal with you, you bastard." 

"Well, you're going to have to deal with me until you're dead." Atsumu chuckles out, making Osamu scoff. 

"I hope I die soon." 

"Hey, are you crazy?" 

"Shut up." 

♚♚♚

"A medical lecture? Are you studying, Kenma?" Hinata stands up and fixes the creases in his clothes, curiously staring at his friend who was standing up. 

"I had to give up my medical classes back in Koryu Empire since I had to be sent here, but when I learned I could join lecture's here too, I jumped at the opportunity." Hinata felt confused. For what purpose was Kenma learning medicine?

"You want to become a doctor, Kenma?" He links arms with the blonde prince as they started to walk out the room. 

"To be exact, I want to become a pharmacist. I was actually the one who created those red heat suppressant pills. I made it to cope with unwanted early heat cycles." As Kenma spoke about his dream profession, he had a soft smile on his face as his eyes twinkled in happiness. He seemed to love studying and creating medicine. 

Again, Hinata felt confused and empty. He never felt those kind of feelings, nor did he have a dream. 

"But you're a prince, Kenma.." The orange-haired prince was sincerely utterly confused. He really could not understand why his friend would learn something a prince never had to learn. 

"Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I have no right to choose a path I want for myself." He replies quickly, his free hand patting the top of Hinata's head. "Don't you want to do something other than being a prince, Shouyo?" 

"Me?" Hinata bites his lip. "I never really though about it since Imperial Father said it was irrelevant..." 

"It's not irrelevant, Shouyo. I want you to think of it properly what you really want to do. Don't just follow orders people told you to do." 

Hinata sighs, a concerned frown on his face. "Aren't I too late to be thinking of a dream?" 

Kenma smiles softly at the boy, tucking a lone strand of hair behind his ear. "No one is too late to dream, Shouyo." 

Oh, it hurt. 

His chest hurt so painfully from his dreams that kept reliving scenes of him with Kenma. 

It hurt. 

Knowing that he could never come back. 

Because he's dead. 

A part of him wanted to forget. 

He wanted to forget about the pain. The pain of his memories that he left. The pain he feels every night tossing and turning in bed as he saw Kenma's face every time he closed his eyes. The pain of knowing that he watched his best friend, his soul mate bleeding out to death in his arms. The pain of remembering the last words he said. 

The pain of carrying that "I love you." 

But Hinata knew, in the end he couldn't forget. 

Because he loves Kenma. 

And he wouldn't forget. 

Because he chose to live with this pain in order to reminisce about the bittersweet memories he spent with him. He chose to suffer in order to continue loving Kenma, in memory of his death. 

"Kenmaa..." He sobs out, tripping over his words as he cried into his bed. Tsukishima, who was gazing out the balcony despite the snow, ran inside as soon as he heard Hinata's cries, slowly patting his back rhythmically to soothe him. 

"It's okay, Prince." He takes the prince into his cold arms, holding him close. Hinata was so broken and in pieces that it felt impossible to piece back together. "I'm here, Prince. Please don't worry." 

"Kenma, please... Kenma...." He mumbles out, hiccups escaping from his mouth. It looks like he was still half-asleep and was sleep talking. 

"I'm sorry, Prince." Tsukishima felt bad for his master, who cried in his arms thinking he was Kenma. "I'm not Kenma. I'm Kei-san."

"Kei-san...?" Hinata, who suddenly snaps out of his panic and half-asleep state, stares up at Tsukishima. "Kei-san, weren't you out on the balcony..?" 

"I came inside when I heard you have awoken, Prince." He says with a soft smile, placing his hand on top of Hinata's head. He kisses his forehead gently. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I won't leave your side. You don't have to be scared." 

"Kei-san." Hinata's golden orange eyes were piercing, gleaming as the sunlight bounced off his eyes. "Kei-san, do you gaze outside on the balcony all the time because you miss Commander Kuroo?" 

Tsukishima was taken aback. Was it really? He felt an impulse everyday to go outside and watch the scenery. Is it really because he missed Kuroo? 

Is this what happens when you're away from your fated mate for a while? 

"Hinata, are you awake?" A voice mumbles behind the closed doors, a voice they were familiar with. 

"Yukitaka!" Hinata exclaims, his tears halting in the midst of crying. 

"Hinata!" Without even waiting for an answer, Yukitaka bursts into the room and pounces on Tsukishima and Hinata, hugging Hinata tightly. "I'm so sorry I'm late.. I was hiding." 

"Excuse me." Tsukishima groaned out, pushing the two of them off his body. "Please do not jump on a person especially if they just woke up." 

Hinata lets out a hiccup before looking up at Yukitaka while hugging him. Tears still brimmed at his eyes. Happiness because Yukitaka was finally here. Sadness because Kenma wasn't. "H-Hiding? From what?" 

His eyes were shaken and tired, filled with fear and dread. "From the Kodai." 

Their eyes widen. "Wha— Why? I... I thought they were only in the inner palace?" 

"I don't know why." Yukitaka's face was grim. "It looked like they were looking for something in Nokoshomura. I had to hide with the other concubines in a wine cellar." 

"Thank goodness you're safe..." Hinata sighed out, sobbing as he embraced his friend tighter. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you too...." 

Tsukishima and Yukitaka turned silent. They honestly didn't know how to comfort Hinata. Maybe releasing pheromones would calm him.. 

"Hinata..." Yuki had a concerned look on his face, looking like he wanted to say something. "I know it's a bad time for me to tell you this, but..."

Soft sniffles came from the prince who wept in the arms of his friend, shoulders trembling from crying. 

"W-What is it?" He mumbled out, his voice all shaky. 

"An envoy from the Koryu Empire came. While I was sneaking in the Ooku palace's rear entrance, I saw them and heard something odd." His face was dead serious. "They were talking about Kenma." 

Hinata suddenly stops sobbing onto Yukitaka's chest. "... What did they say?" 

The latter sighs in exasperation. "It was despicable, really. They were nagging Commander Kuroo about receiving the compensation once they arrived at their chambers. They said they would take it personally if Seiryu didn't take responsibility." 

Slowly, Hinata raised his head that was buried in his palms. He had dark eyes and a frightening look on his face. "Compensation...?" 

"That's what I heard." Yukitaka stutters out, loosening his hold on Hinata. Right now, Hinata was a ticking time bomb. No one knew when he was going to blow up because of news about Kenma. 

All of a sudden, Hinata is off the bed and running out of the room, a deep frown on his face as he trudged down the stairway. "How dare they!" They heard him yell out in rage and anger. "How dare they use Kenma's death as a way to receive money?! Is that what Kenma's death meant to them?!" 

"Imperial Prince!!" Tsukishima yelled out, both of them getting off the bed as quick as possible before running down the stairs to chase after Hinata. 

"Hinata!! It's freezing out there!!!" Yukitaka screamed, running out the Hyacinth Palace's entrance only to see Hinata being blocked by Kageyama. 

"G-Get out of the way!" The prince stuttered out, his voice trembling. He shook violently as he stood in the snowy weather, wearing nothing but a thin sleeping kimono and no geta. His feet, hands, and face were red from extreme cold. A few more minutes and he would get frostbite. 

"What the hell are you doing in those flimsy clothes?! What are you trying to do?!" Kageyama snarled out, still completely blocking his path. 

"I said, get out!" Hinata's eyes were serious and fierce. "I need to talk to those dumb envoys! They're using Kenma's death as an excuse to receive more gold!!!" 

"Don't be rash!" Kageyama was furious. "Do you really think those envoys will listen to you?!" 

"I'll make them listen!" The prince screams out, tears starting to trickle out his eyes. "Just because Kenma is an omega, they're treating him like shit! Even in his death he's being used by his country to gain wealth or power!!" 

"Just listen to yourself, you dumbass!" The knight growls out, angrily removing his haori before placing it on the prince's shoulders. "Look at you right now. No slippers on and thin clothes. Are you planning on walking all the way to the main palace, in this weather, to talk to them? Are you fucking crazy? You'll die of hypothermia before you even arrive, dumbass." 

Hinata grits his teeth and pulls away from Kageyama, glaring at him. "Move!" 

"Imperial Prince!" Tsukishima yells out, arriving with Yukitaka. "Please head back inside. If you want, I can go in—" 

"No!" He was stubborn. "I'm going!" 

"But Prince—" 

"I said—!" Hinata suddenly halts before falling, Kageyama catching him before he fell to the ground. 

"Hey!! What did you do to Hinata?!" Yukitaka shouts out, about to lunge at Kageyama. 

"Calm down. I only hit the back of his neck to make him lose his consciousness." The knight sighs out, cracking his neck before handing the prince over to Tsukishima. "Take care of him. Bring him inside and warm him up. 

Tsukishima gave a deadpan look. "You don't have to tell me." 

♚♚♚

"I'm back, Saku-chan!" Koganegawa Kanji yells out, entering his residence as maidservants bowed at his arrival. He walks into the kitchen, finding Sakunami standing at a kitchen counter chopping some fruit. It looks like he was preparing a healthy snack.

Fujihiki-san, their elder head maid, was cooking in a pot that was situated on top of the kamado, stirring it slowly. 

"Welcome home, Kogane." Sakunami greeted the alpha, not even bothering to glance at him, which made him pout. 

"Kiss please!" The alpha approached him, wrapping his arms gently around his body as he smooched the bite mark on his nape. Koganegawa was being clingy again, as usual. 

"Oh, you big baby." Sakunami rolls his eyes playfully, tilting his head to kiss the man on his lips. "Are you satisfied?" 

"Hehe, yes." Kogane happily snuggled his mate, breathing in his scent. "Now, when will you call me by my first name?" 

Without even stopping to think, Sakunami continued to slice pears and apples into small, bite-sized pieces, placing them in a large bowl that had lemon slices. "We have to get married first before that."

Koganegawa's eyes widened. Marriage. He forgot about that. He forgot that after becoming mates, you need to be married to become eternally bound to each other. "Then!!! Then!!! Let's get married now!" 

"That's impossible." Sakunami immediately shot down Kogane's suggestion, which kinda hurt. "Especially with the Kodai around. It's too risky."

Sakunami's concern wasn't unfound. Doing anything was risky nowadays. Especially since he was an omega, he had to be extra cautious. He wasn't the Emperor's concubine, but who knows? The Kodai might even be targeting the whole population of omegas in Seiryu by now. 

"You're right." He sighed out solemnly. 

"Also, I'm worried." Sakunami held onto Kogane's hands that were wrapped around his body, moving it to place it on his stomach. It was still flat, but Kogane could feel the heart beat of their child. It was likely his alpha paternal instincts that helped him sense their baby. "Our child is already at a month. I hope we'll be fine..." 

"We'll be fine. I promise." The alpha kissed the omega's temple gently. "I'll protect you." 

♚♚♚

The envoys were situated at the side palace, in a guest room. It was large and comfy, but the envoys were all restless. One of them paced around the room countless of times while another repeatedly tapped his foot on the floor. 

"Damn it, the Emperor is tough." The oldest envoy grumbled out, glaring at the two other envoys. "Weren't you the one who suggested to threaten him with compensation?! Why isn't he agreeing to the gem exchange?" 

"I don't know, Sire!" One stuttered out, bowing his head deeply. "He didn't seem to take the bait. I apologize, Sire!" 

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Shut up." The elder sighed in exasperation, pinching his nose bridge. "That damn Emperor..." 

"Hey, did you hear?" The envoys turned quiet when they heard the voices of maids. Quietly, they listened in the conversation. 

"Yeah, I did. I heard our Emperor went out to visit his favorite concubine again yesterday." 

"Again? He had time to play around?" They heard giggles from behind the door. 

"Of course! It's Emperor Atsumu we're talking about. He's too obsessed about Prince Hinata!" 

"If he's so obsessed, why doesn't he just bring the Prince to the inner palace? Why make the effort to visit him everyday?" 

"I heard that Prince Hinata was close friends with Prince Kozume. They were together on the day of Prince Kozume's death. I'm sure he's still sobbing in his room." 

"Oh poor thing. He must be scarred." 

The eldest envoy chuckles, a smirk forming on his face. 

"Prince Hinata huh?" He grins widely. "Bingo." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! 
> 
> So it seems like I can set a schedule now for updating TTvTT
> 
> Since I've been updating pretty quick nowadays, I think its safe to say that I can update once a week :)
> 
> Thanks for waiting, guys!
> 
> I appreciate you all :>
> 
> ===  
> Shameless Plug:
> 
> Wattpad: @fujoshtickss   
> Twitter: @chaexijun  
> AFF: @chanhoed  
> ===


	25. Bargaining Chips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I apologize for the lack of updates for a month or more
> 
> To follow the apology, here is an 8k-word chapter for you all to consume 😌
> 
> Have fun! 
> 
> Also, happy birthday Hanamaki!!!! 💓

♚♚♚

Iwaizumi indeed brought him back to Hanamaki, just as he told him when they were chatting by the pillars. It was such a big shame, really. He honestly thought they would get it on with how passionate they were kissing outside the Imperial meeting room. Of course, it wasn't appropriate to just nilly around at the doors of the meeting room, which would most likely lead to an imperial offense if they did such an unspeakable act, so he assumed Iwaizumi was going to relocate the both of them to his barracks, so no one could bother them.

Instead, he was now back at his palace, with his murderous knight glaring at him while he was being carried like a bride by Iwaizumi. 

Hm. Oh well. Maybe he could try tempting him to stay. 

Maybe a little gentle flutter of his hands by the groin would do the trick.

But before Oikawa could even play out his plan, he's startled by Iwaizumi who suddenly speaks.

"Good day, Hanamaki-san." Iwaizumi greeted the guardian knight, who replied curtly and nodded. He hands Oikawa over to Hanamaki, thinking he would take over and carry him, but alas, would that actually happen? Instead, Oikawa is dropped on the floor butt first in a disgusted manner. 

"Don't hand this thing to me." He grumbled, still pissed at Oikawa's misbehavior. As if he just held a rotting corpse, he brushes his hands onto his outer haori sleeve, like wiping away dirt. Seeing that action, the mischievous omega decided to put up an act.

"Thing?!" Oikawa gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead. He posed on the floor like a distressed maiden, batting his eyelashes pitifully at the two beta knights. "Oh dear, oh dear. I'm too pretty to be a thing!" 

Hanamaki sneers in disgust, slowly turning his head to stare at Iwaizumi. His eyes looked like it was boring holes into his soul, a knowing look on his face. "Sir Iwaizumi... Are you sure you like this one?" 

"I'm right here, you know!" The omega yaps out, still sitting on the floor. He crosses his arms and lets out a loud 'hmph'. Just like a child. "Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!" 

"Cut him some slack. He's pretty nice." The beta knight chuckles, making the other roll his eyes. Love birds, you know? So cheesy.

Iwaizumi leans down towards his partner who was having a tantrum on the floor, holding his cheek to pull his head up. He kissed his forehead gently before tousling his light brown hair around. "I'll be leaving now. Behave, Tooru." 

Turning around to head towards the entrance, Iwaizumi was about to leave when the omega suddenly grabbed the edge of his sleeve. 

"Stay for a while?" His eyes were pleading silently, waiting patiently for an answer. He wanted him to stay. He hopes he would stay. 

The former gives out a heavy, defeated sigh, crouching down to pick up the omega off the floor. How could he possibly say no to his lover? "Fine. I have no urgent duties as of now, so I'll stay." 

Grinning happily, Oikawa clings onto the knight and hugs him tightly, who smiles softly and kisses his head. "You made the right choice of staying~" He coos out, snuggling the crook of the beta's neck. It smelled like the scent of fresh herbs and sea breeze, nothing like those overbearingly musky scents of alphas. Iwaizumi never realized it, but his miniscule scent that he was unconsciously producing when Oikawa was around calmed the latter. It made him feel safe and protected, like in the arms of a fated partner. 

It was a first for him, experiencing this type of affection. He thought being partners was all about alpha dominance and omega subservience. At least, that's how it was with his fated... 

Never mind. That was part of the past. He's safe now, and he's utterly in love with the man in front of him right now. 

No need to remember that man. It's all in the past.

Shaking his head to get rid of his ridiculous thoughts, Oikawa gets out of his arms and nuzzles Iwaizumi even more, making the latter chuckle. 

"You're acting so needy again." Iwaizumi had a smile on his face, one that reflected pure adoration. On the sidelines, they hear a loud, forced gagging noise. It was none other than the hot-tempered Hanamaki, who was pretending to hurl. 

"Oh fuck you lovebirds." Hanamaki grumbled out, covering his mouth as if he felt nauseous. "I'm out of here. I don't want to hear fucking." 

Oikawa snorted, amused at his knight's reaction. "If you say so." He replied in a teasing tone, only annoying the man even further. The latter grumpily heads towards the door, not wanting to stay in there a second more. 

"And please," he turned around before he was fully out the shoji door, holding onto its wooden frame. His other hand pointed at the two as he stared directly at the omega's beta partner, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Try not to break the fucking bed. I don't want to come home to a broken frame. Don't make me sweep your ass."

Once the knight exited the room, the two lovers lock eyes and stare at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter, shoulders moving up and down while they sniggered. 

Oikawa sees the chance to take the initiative, wrapping his arms around his partner's neck. His eyelashes fluttered, eyes staring right into Iwaizumi's dark oculars. Slowly, he gave out a sensual smile, exuding a soft but sweet pheromone. 

"Shall we take this to the room?" He whispers right into the beta's ear, earning a shudder. His jaw tightens as he picks up and slings the omega over the shoulder, hurriedly ascending the stairs as if time was chasing them. The Omega could see that a bulge was forming in the beta's hakama, making him smirk. 

"Oho, what's this?" Oikawa grins and grabs the bulge rubbing it over the cloth which agitated him. 

"Don't touch it, Tooru. We're almost at the room. Be patient." He groans through gritted teeth, slamming the doors open with his foot. Being a dominant beta meant he could smell Oikawa's scent, which had an effect on him despite not having rut. 

Maybe it was because it was Oikawa Tooru's scent. Maybe it's because they could be fated despite himself being a beta, that's why he was getting affected. 

Gently, he lay out the omega on the mattress, admiring his reddened face and open mouth. His pink lips begged to be kissed, so he did what he wanted; he dipped down and met lips. 

Like a jar filled with butterflies opened in his insides, Oikawa's ribs felt like it housed a hundred mariposas. From his heart strings to the depth of his belly, he could feel every part of his body throbbing and resonating in sync with the man he was kissing. 

A sweet, summer breeze. Iwaizumi exuded a light, calming scent that could go unnoticed by most. But Oikawa could smell it because of his sensitive nose. 

He used to hate his olfactory strength. Even a flower could smell so overbearing to him. 

But Iwaizumi, on the other hand, smelled like home. 

Their kiss was fervent but sweet, angling their heads to kiss deeper and feel each other even more. Oikawa's hands gripped the width of the top's back, pulling off the blue haori he wore. Iwaizumi's hands gripped at the formers face, holding him close until they ran out of breath. 

They pulled away completely flushed, lips red and swollen. 

"You look completely wrecked from a simple kiss, Tooru." Iwaizumi chuckled, admiring the view of the omega panting under him. His eyes were half lidded as he touched his lips. 

"Your little guy could say the same." He used his knee to nudge the beta's erection, who chuckled before connecting lips with the omega once again. This time, their tongues danced together, battling for dominance. 

The beta explored the crevices of his partner's mouth, sucking on his tongue occasionally before pulling away to breathe. 

"Iwa-chan." Oikawa muttered. "Ravage me." 

He pulls open his yukata, revealing his flawless, pale skin. His nipples were perky, itching to be teased and sucked. 

"Beautiful." Iwaizumi muttered unconsciously, kissing and licking down Oikawa's neck. "So beautiful." 

He left love bites trailing down from his neck to his collarbone, leaving more in between his chest. Iwaizumi's mouth latched on one nipple, nipping softly and pinching the other with his hand. It made the latter moan softly, his hands gripping the beta's hair. 

He continued to leave hickeys down the omega's torso before the omega suddenly flinched, halting him in his movements. 

"Ow.." He heard Oikawa hiss out quietly, trying to act as if nothing happened afterwards. He looked up at Iwaizumi with an innocent, confused look. "Why did you stop?" 

"Are you in pain?" Iwaizumi's tone was full of concern, pulling away from him. "What hurts, Oikawa?" 

"No!" Oikawa blurted out, sitting up in a panic. "Nothing hurts. Just continue." 

The beta knight only stares at him before pulling the omega's hakama off, holding his ankle that was wrapped in bloodied gauze. 

Shock filled his usual stoic face. His ankle... 

He gently pulls Oikawa's foot close, kissing it softly. He kissed over the gauze, making sure not to hurt him. 

"You walked all the way to the Imperial meeting room on an injured foot?" He mumbled out, his eyes glazing with concern and self-loathing. "You shouldn't have done that. Your wound has gotten worse." 

"No, it's okay." Oikawa insisted, trying to pull his foot away. "I went there for you." 

"Oikawa, you..." Iwaizumi clicks his tongue, his expression turning dark. Oikawa knew what that kind of expression it was. He was blaming himself. 

"It's not your fault, okay?" He held Iwaizumi's cheeks. "You were able to protect me." 

"I wasn't able to protect you well." He grits his teeth, frowning. He was blaming himself even more because of his failure. 

"Iwaizumi, you did well." The omega exclaims out, feeling stressed. It was that god daned Kodai's fault, anyways, not Iwaizumi's! 

"I did not." He growled out. "I put you in harm's way." 

He stared at Oikawa's ankle, touching it sadly. "If I did well, you wouldn't be hurt right now." 

"𝘊𝘰-𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳!" 𝘒𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘪 𝘈𝘬𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘻𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. "𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵!" 

𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥. 

"𝘛𝘤𝘩!" 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘢, 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘸, 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘢. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰-𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 

"𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?" 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴? 

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬? 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴. 

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧. 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱. 

"𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦—" 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪.

"𝘚-𝘚𝘪𝘳?" 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 

"𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰'𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. "𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦. 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘰. 𝘎𝘰!" 

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥. 

𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘪. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘥. 

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳! 

𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴. 

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴...? 

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪'𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘻𝘰𝘳𝘪 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘴.

𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯. 

"𝘈𝘳𝘨𝘩!" 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥. 

"𝘞𝘩𝘺—" 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. "𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢!" 

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢'𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦! 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥. 

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥? 

𝘕𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪?" 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 

"𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘬𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦." 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵.

"𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳." 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢'𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐'𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦." 

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸." 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦. "𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐𝘸𝘢-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯." 

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. "𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵." 

"𝘐'𝘮.."

"𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦." 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱. 𝘕𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵. 

"𝘐.." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰? 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩. 

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘪 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵. 

"𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵—!" 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘥𝘶𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 

𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵. 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵. 

"𝘖𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘥, 𝘰𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘥." 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. "𝘖𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴!!" 

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵, 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢'𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸." 

"𝘖𝘩𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵." 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. "𝘖𝘩𝘩 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘮." 

"𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦!" 

"𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵." 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘻𝘶𝘮𝘪'𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯.

♚♚♚

After the meeting ended, Ushijima hurriedly heads towards his household, in a hurry to see his mate.

Tendou had been feeling horrible the past few days. He suggested they bring it to Shirabu, since he was the Imperial doctor, but Tendou refused to get checked up and instead insisted that he knew how to handle it. 

Frankly, Ushijima felt annoyed that he couldn't offer any help to his mate. It made him feel useless. But what could he do? He was a mere blockhead of an alpha who doesn't know how omega's bodies work. All he could do was provide support and comfort to Tendou while he goes through whatever he's going through. 

Entering the gates that he pushed open, a row of maidservants greeted him as he chucked his zori into the side of the genkan haphazardly, not even bothering to place it in the getabako. Shoes toppled over each other as he ran up the stairs, looking for his mate. 

"Tendou? Tendou, where are you?" He called out his mate's name, worried. He checked each bed chamber in the upper level, sliding open each door only to find empty rooms. He then decides to descend down the stairs to check the different rooms. "Where are you?" 

Loud puking took his attention, the noise coming from the toilet room located on the other side. 

"Tendou!" He walks swiftly towards the toilet room, sliding the shoji doors open only to reveal his vomiting mate. His arms were caging the toilet seat, shoulders moving up and down as he gagged on what he was regurgitating. "Tendou, what's wrong?!" 

Panic was evident in the alpha's voice, worry plastered all over his face. He didn't understand what was happening, hence making him panic. 

"Is something hurting? Do you want me to drag Doctor Shirabu here?" Tendou chuckles and pours a bucket of clean water down the toilet, flushing his puke down the pipes. It wasn't everyday you'd see Ushijima panicking. As the Imperial strategist, he needed to be calm and collected as much as possible, to extract as much information as he needed. But of course, once it came to Tendou Satori, all of that logical reasoning is lost.

It was actually kind of fun seeing the stone-faced man show more of his face lines out of worry. He looked more human. 

"Blergh." The red head squeaked out, spitting into the toilet bowl. "Ah, I hate this so much." 

"What do you hate? Can I fix it?" Ushijima asked, still worried as he helped Tendou stand up from his sitting position. The toilet room was cramped with how large the alpha's build was, so he decided to push him out before holding onto him. 

"You can't fix it, Waka-kun." He chuckled out, using the outer sleeve of his sleeping kimono to wipe off the excess puke on the side of his mouth. "It's just morning sickness. It's normal." 

"Morning sickness?" The alpha raised his eyebrow in confusion. 

"It's something all omegas and females go through, you know." Tendou replies, dragging his partner to the kitchen area, where a servant cooked lunch. "Ishina-san, may I have a cup of water, please?" 

This was one of Tendou Satori's loveable facts. He was always polite to everyone, from novice knights to the maidservants and workers who cleaned the yard during the break of morning. It was probably due to his humble upbringing that shaped him into such a kind person. 

"Of course, Tendou-sama." The maid named Ishina smiled back at him, pouring him a cup of water with the cooled teapot on the side. She handed it to the omega, who gratefully accepts it and immediately gulps the liquid down. It clears his throat of all that disgusting residue that stuck to the back of his esophagus. 

"Are you sure we don't need to call Doctor Shirabu for this? What if it gets worse?" The alpha asks, smoothing down the omega's back after he downed one cup. "You don't have to hold back from telling me what you need." 

Tendou chuckles loudly, on the verge of laughing. "It's fine, Waka-kun. It's just the baby!" 

"The baby... Makes you vomit?" He tilts his head in confusion. You could almost hear the gears in his head turning with how hard he was thinking. It was amusing, really. Tendou never knew how dumb Ushijima was when it came to children and pregnancies. 

"Yes, the baby makes me vomit." The red head glances down at his still flat stomach, smiling softly and placing a hand on top of it. "Maybe it's because the baby also has elite taste like their mother." 

Ushijima scoffs in amusement, taking his mate by the waist and steering him towards the sun room. "You're telling me umeboshi is food for the elite?" 

"Hey!" Tendou swats the alpha playfully, slipping out of his arms to sit on the zaisu styled couch. "Don't you dare insult my palate right now. I can't help it, you know? It's the baby's cravings."

"Are you going to ask for wagashi in the middle of the night again?" The alpha asks, a smile on his face as he sat down right beside the omega. He placed his arms behind the backrest, one around his partner's back. "Because that will be hard to find." 

"Honestly speaking, I can make it on my own." Tendou sniggers out, snuggling the alpha. "I'm the Imperial chef of Koryu, remember?" 

"Of course I remember. The meals you made me every morning before your morning sickness were amazing." He kisses Tendou's temple, scenting him as he dug his nose on his nape. His alpha pheromones were concentrated on the place where he bit Tendou, spilling out like an overflowing cup. 

"Buuuut, I'm lazy. So you'll become my food fetcher." The two laugh softly and cuddle in comfortable silence after, their feet tangled with each other under the kakebuton Tendou grabbed from on top of the side table. 

Ushijima places his large hand over Tendou's stomach, using his thumb to graze over his abdomen. "Tendou." 

"Hmm?" The omega replies, looking up at the alpha sleepily. Their cuddling session made him so comfortable that he was slowly falling asleep. "What is it, Waka-kun?" 

"How far along is our baby?" He asks, his eyes and voice full of curiosity. It was their baby. His seed that turned into a baby that was now growing inside his mate. Their baby. 

It felt so good to say that. It sounded so good, hearing 'our baby' slip of his tongue. 

"I'm six weeks pregnant already. Our baby is still a little bean, though." Ushijima saw how Tendou's eyes lit up with pure affection as he stroked his stomach, his maternal instincts taking over. "I hope you grow faster, little one. Your parents are excited to see you already." 

"How do you know so much about this?" Ushijima was genuinely curious. He's never heard about these type of things. Then again, he was brought up as a dominant alpha, so it would be completely unnecessary to learn about the ways of an omega.

He was brought up to have superior children with a dominant omega, and only that. He was forbidden from getting attached to his omega mate, as that could affect his reasoning. He always thought that part was stupid. 

And it was stupid. 

How could he stop himself from loving Tendou Satori? 

He was to deep into their relationship to even try letting go.

"I was taught by my parents when I was growing up." The omega had a soft smile on his face, a distant look as he reminisced his past. "My parents are fated mates. They married out of love then had me. They taught me everything, from alpha duties to omega duties."

"Alpha duties? Why?" The alpha's brows furrowed, getting invested in the story. 

"My father thought differently from others." His smile was one full of concern and love. "He believed that all of us were equal in the eyes of Ryujin." 

".. Do you think so too?" Ushijima had an unreadable look on his face. Was he weirded out by it? He was strictly brought up as an alpha in a hypocritical family. Did he hate it? 

"I do. Do you think it's wrong?" The red head felt worried and nervous. What did he think about it? What if Ushijima's idea of him turns bad? He would hate that. 

"No... I never really thought of it that way." He was still deep in thought. "All my life, I've believed in the words of my father that an alpha always stood on top." 

He turned to the side, facing the omega, meeting his eyes. "Now that I met you, I can honestly believe that alphas and omegas are equal." 

♚♚♚

"Shouyo." Hinata's eyes flutter open only to see himself staring straight at Kenma. Kenma had a soft smile on his face, his eyes staring at him lovingly, just like before. 

It seems like Hinata had his head lying on Kenma's lap, as he could see the leaves of the wisteria tree and the clear, blue sky above their heads. The tree was most likely their favorite tree that was outside Ooku palace, on a hill that was near the docks. 

"Kenma...?" Hinata was bewildered, his hand instinctively shooting up to hold his friend's cheek. It was warm and felt real to the touch. 

Kenma was here. He was actually here! 

Kenma smiled even more and placed his hand on top of Hinata's, melting into the palm of his hand as he closed his eyes. The surprisingly warm breeze caressed their bodies, flittering through their hair, making it fly with the wind.

"It's good to see you again." He said, that same, warm smile on his face that he always gave to Hinata. He moves his face so his mouth was being covered by Hinata's palm, kissing it before removing his hand. "I miss you." 

Seeing Kenma's face made Hinata break down. His soul mate was right here in front of him, holding him in his arms. His warmth that enveloped him whole was something he could never forget. 

"I'm sorry, Kenma!" He cries out, sitting up only to hold his friend tight. It felt even more painful hugging Kenma. He was warm, and he could hear his beating heart, making him hope so badly that this was reality and not just a dream. "It's my fault you ended up... It's.. It's....." 

"It's not your fault, Shouyo." The blonde chuckled, patting his back gently in an attempt to soothe him. "I wanted to protect you. I'm glad I was able to." 

"But because of that.." He sobbed out, his heart twisting painfully. It felt like a wet rag being twisted, trying to be drained of its moisture. His chest tightened, making it hard for Hinata to breathe as he wailed in his best friend and soul mate's arms. "Because of that, you got stabbed. I'm too weak. I couldn't help you!" 

"Shh..." Kenma pats his back, wrapping both his arms around Hinata's small body. He was trembling from how much he was crying. "You're not weak. You fought well against the enemy."

"I wasn't able to protect you." Hinata cried out, burying his head deeper on to Kenma's chest. His scent felt like a safe embrace, a scent he was used to smelling every day. 

"But I was able to protect you." The blonde replies in a soft voice. "That's all that matters." 

"I wanted to protect you! I can't be the one being protected all the time!" His voice was strained and full of agony and hurt. He was beating himself up because of his incompetence and weakness. He was not good enough.

"Shouyo." Kenma holds him at an arms length, staring straight into his eyes. Hinata's face was completely damp with tears, a crimson flush filling the whole of his cheeks. His nose was tinted red like his eyes from excessive sobbing. "I chose to protect you. I chose to die protecting you." 

Kenma's hand reaches out, placing it on his damp cheek. His cold fingers glide on his reddened skin, cooling him. "I don't regret it at all."

"I could've just died in your stead." He muttered solemnly, earning a frown from Kenma. 

"No. Don't say that." His voice was stern and clear. He didn't like hearing Hinata say those kind of things. "I was already poisoned by the time you came. It was inevitable for me to die." 

"Still, I..." He was cut short by a hand being placed over his mouth. Looks like his best friend didn't want him saying anything more. 

"Shouyo. You still have a long life ahead of you. You still have your fated mate to find, and a love to experience." His voice was bittersweet, like a metallic tinge on the tip of your tongue. "I was a mateless omega who was a tool of the Koryu empire. I was Crown Prince in name only. I had no worth." 

"Kenma, you can't say that. You're worth more than the entire universe!" Hinata yelled out, furious that Kenma even thought he was but a speck of dirt on the wall. His enthusiasm made the latter chuckle. 

"Thank you for that." He chuckles out, holding Hinata's hand. "Shouyo. I want you to promise me something." 

"What is it?" He asked, inching close to sit right beside the blonde. 

"I want you to stay strong." The blonde omega replies, rubbing the knuckles of the Kinryuan prince's hand. "I want you to grow stronger until no one else can hurt you." 

"That's gonna be hard." He replies back. "I'm tiny." 

"You can be a little dynamite, then." Kenma's little comment made both of them laugh out, enjoying a light chuckle before leaning their heads against each other. The breeze was once again there to envelop them in a calm embrace. 

After a long moment of silence, Kenma decides to break the ice. "How are you faring?" 

Hinata looked down at their intertwined hands, tightening his grasp. "I feel like I lost half my soul." 

"I know. I miss you too." He replies in a disheartened tone, squeezing his hand back. "I feel so empty." 

"I didn't think it was ever possible to have a soul mate until you came along." Hinata sighs sadly, a heartbroken smile on his lips. "It feels so wrong living life without you. Everything moves slowly and it weighs down heavily like a metal box." 

"It does, doesn't it?" The blonde laughs out. "Let's stop talking about this since we're getting quite gloomy. What's happening in the Ooku palace nowadays?" 

"Its a big mess." The orange-haired prince gave out a long, tired sigh. The palace was in complete silent chaos with how the Koryuan envoys marched angrily to the palace of the Emperor. 

"Tell me about it. What happened?" Kenma leaned closely, eyes filled with curiosity as he got invested with what the prince said. 

"Three envoys from Koryu came to the main palace yesterday. The maids have been saying that they were traveling for three days straight and arrived angrily. Someone must have snitched on your death." The blonde suddenly scoffs, a look of disbelief on his face. 

"I haven't even been dead for three days. Even if they were to receive information about my death as soon as I dropped dead, they wouldn't arrive in three days. It's impossible." He had a dark look on his face. It was a look he had when he was thinking very hard, piecing information together like puzzles. "The Kodai must have sent one of their men to tell Koryu about my death, even before it happened." 

He scoffed in annoyance. "They must have been so sure of my death that they could afford to bet on it. How infuriating." 

"Imagine if you didn't." Hinata chimes in, receiving a weird look from Kenma. 

"If I didn't, I'd be punching that kodai who stole my poison's face until it caves in." They both laugh at how bloody he described it, finding his description funny. 

"That's too violent, Kenma!" Hinata banters playfully, earning an eye roll from the latter. 

"What are the envoys doing, by the way?" Kenma asks, still curious about them. Those envoys were the biggest reason why he was actually sent here as a concubine offering. They were probably here to ask for something because of his death. 

"Oh, those wicked old men." The orange-haired prince growled out, absolutely livid. "They're asking for a large sum of gold as compensation because of your death. They're using your death as an excuse to milk money out of your situation!" 

"Greedy bastards." The blonde clicked his tongue. "They're still the same. Hungry for riches." 

"I know right! We should— Wait, what's happening?" Hinata's vision started to get woozy, his sight turning blurry and twisting in different directions. His heart rate sped up as he started panicking, gripping Kenma' s hands tight. "Kenma, what's happening?!?" 

"You're waking up." Kenma's voice was filled with bittersweet sadness. He had guessed this meeting was going to be short. 

"But...!" Hinata started to tear up. He didn't want to wake up. Was it not possible to just stay asleep forever? "I don't want to leave you!" 

Kenma smiles sadly, caressing Hinata's cheek. "I'm always here." 

Taking his hand off the prince's cheek, he takes the latter's hand in his, and kisses his knuckles. "See you again. Don't blame yourself, okay?" 

"This is so unfair." At this point, the orange head was full blown sobbing once again, not ready to face the reality that Kenma was no longer here. 

"Sorry." He smiled, placing a soft kiss on Hinata's lips. "I love you." 

Hinata wakes up with tears streaming down his face, Yukitaka worriedly wiping away at his tears as he crouched at the side of the bed. Tsukishima was by his foot, observing him with a solemn look on his face. 

"Hinata!" Yukitaka gasps out, the cloth that he used to wipe the prince's tears flinging out of his hand in surprise. "You're awake!" 

He flinches, still out of it as he sat up on the bed, pushing the covers off his body. The snowy wind blew wildly outside the window, begging to enter, rattling the wood. He almost forgot that it was winter because of how warm and bright it was with Kenma. 

"How long was I unconscious for?" He immediately asks, rubbing his nape which ached. It felt sore, which made him crack his neck in hopes the aching would go away. 

"A whole day." Tsukishima replied, taking the warm chamomile tea that Shimizu steeped and handing it to the disoriented prince in a careful manner. The tea was now warm from being exposed to elements for quite a while. "Are you alright? Please drink this tea. It has calming properties. Shimizu-san brewed it for you." 

"Thank you, Kei-san." The prince replied softly, taking the cup from him and downing it in one go. The cloth Yukitaka handed to him was used to blow his nose. "I'm sorry. I was dreaming of Kenma again." 

The two nodded in silence, afraid to approach the topic about Prince Kenma. Hinata was like a walking time bomb, ready to detonate as soon as it heard the name Kozume Kenma. 

"How are you feeling, Hinata?" Concern was evident in Yuki's voice, trying his best to stop himself from bawling. Seeing his closest friend slowly lose the light in his eyes was scary. His usual sunshine attitude nowhere to be found. "I knew that idiot hit you too hard! You look so haggard!" 

"I'm fine, I guess." He replied curtly, touching the back of his neck. "For some reason, my nape is aching."

The two glance at each other, finding the situation amusing despite all the heavy stuff going on. "Sir Kageyama knocked you out, Prince." Tsukishima replied. "Does it still hurt? If you wish, I can try to knock him out on the neck too." 

"Don't do that, Kei-san." Hinata finally broke out into a smile, giggling softly. "He's my knight." 

"And so?" The blonde raises his eyebrow, pushing up his spectacles. "I'm your tutor. I must teach an uncouth person some manners, as an instructor." 

"Okay, okay." Yukitaka and Hinata were chuckling at the blonde's comment. It was uncalled for, but it was funny. Hinata stood up from bed, slipping in his indoor slippers placed by the edge of the bed before he stretched his sore limbs from sleeping through the whole day. "Don't try to distract me. I'm going go visit Atsumu-san and explain why he shouldn't accept the bargain." 

"You're going to... 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳?" Tsukishima frowned as he asked in a horrified tone. 

To which Hinata replied, "I am. Is there something wrong?" 

"Well, that crazy ba—𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘮, that's the Emperor you're talking about, so yeeees... There is something wrong." Yukitaka tripped on his words, clearing his throat loudly to try to mask the slander he just did to the emperor. "He's wrong in the head." 

"It is better than his original idea of barging in the guest rooms that the Koryuan envoys were staying at." The blonde tutor mutters to himself, sighing loudly as he massaged his temples. "Though, we will be accompanying you on your visit to that Emperor. Sir Kageyama included." 

While changing into suitable clothes, what Tsukishima said made him halt. "Why did it sound like I didn't want him to come?" 

"I could see that you've grown distant from him." Tsukki replied, which Hinata had no reply for. He was dead on point. It was kind of scary how accurate he was most of the time. 

"He's my knight. He has to come, anyways..." It was awkward, but he had to suck it up and deal with it. Nothing he could do about it, anyways. 

He was still a bit pissed off from Kageyama knocking him out cold yesterday morning, though. 

"Let's just go." The prince groans out, ignoring all the bad thoughts he started thinking of in order to keep a peaceful mind. He had to be strong today. 

He could go back to being a sad bitch afterwards. 

They descended the stairs, Shimizu coming close in order to greet her master at the foot of the stairs. 

"Imperial Prince, you are finally awake." Shimizu's voice was filled with happiness and relief, her serious face cracking with a smile. The maidservants who were lined up in the hallway waiting for Hinata broke out into a band of relieved sighs, hands on their chest. "Do you wish to go out, Prince?" 

"I'm going to go visit Atsumu-san." He replies, heading towards the genkan to slip on his zori, ready to head out. He didn't want to waste time standing idly by the door. 

"May I come with you, Prince?" The maid asks, a perturbed look on her face. She felt troubled just letting her master leave like that especially when she knew just how much gossip about him and the Koryuan prince circulated the palace. It could affect him and make him sad, and none of them wanted that. "I am afraid that you..." 

The prince grins in amusement, looking back at the maids. "Are you trying to bring the whole palace with me?" The maids still had troubled looks on their face. "I'll be fine, Shimizu-san. You all don't need to worry. Kageyama is going to come, anyways. I'll be safe." 

Shimizu still felt reluctant to let him go, but she knew arguing further would be disrespectful and going over the boundaries of being a maid, so she sighed and accepted it. "I understand, Imperial Prince. I wish you a safe journey." 

"I'm just going to the main palace." He chuckles, Kageyama opening the entrance for him. They were greeted by harsh, cold air, snow blowing into the palace through the gap of the open door. The snow now piled at around 2 feet tall, piling up quickly with each day that passed. It was a good thing that it didn't pile past the dodai or else it would block the entrance door. 

"Here. Take this." Kageyama takes off his haori, which was made with sheep wool. The intricate design and it's pearl white color indicated it was made in Toryu empire. The knight proceeds to place it over the prince's shoulders, warmth enveloping the latter who fixes the cloth on him. 

"Thanks." He replies awkwardly, stepping out the door. Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Yukitaka follow suit, Yukitaka sneezing once he exited the palace. 

"Ack, cold!" Yuki exclaims, rubbing his arms erratically. "If I knew it was going to become this cold today, I would've worn a junihitoe!" 

"If you did that, the Emperor would have knocked your head off your shoulders." Tsukishima replied with snark, flicking the brunette's forehead. 

"Hey!" The latter yells, starting to bicker with the tutor. While the two bickered heatedly while trailing behind Hinata, Kageyama was subtly hinting at something, angling his arm in a weird way towards Hinata. It looked like he was offering to let the prince hold on to him. 

The orange head stares at the ravenette, who averts his eyes and looks the other way. Looks like someone was too shy to say he wanted to make up with him. 

"You could've just said you wanted to make up." Hinata mumbles out, pinching Kageyama's side before circling his arm around the knight's elbow pit. The latter holds back a grin, biting his inner lip to prevent himself from breaking out into a smile. 

Kageyama always found it hard to apologize and ask for forgiveness, especially when he knew he wasn't completely wrong. But Hinata was someone precious to him, and it bothered him that they weren't communicating properly at all, so he worked up the courage to approach first. He promised himself he'd apologize once they went back. 

The walk towards the main palace was calming despite the bickering in the background, with Kageyama and Hinata walking in peaceful harmony. The awkwardness that they felt between each other for the last couple of days was now long forgotten. 

Foreordained. It felt like 'twas whole. Chains clicking together. Colors mixing. 

After a few more minutes of walking on the compact snow that carpeted the grass, they arrive at the entrance of the main palace. The entrance was equipped with four Azure knights, standing idly despite the freezing cold weather. 

"Who goes?" One knight asks, eyeing the four. Kageyama glared back at the knight, animosity brewing in between them before Hinata pinches him again. 

"Hey Kamasaki, don't yell at them." Novice knight Yahaba Shigeru said, staring at Tsukishima. "That's Tsukishima Kei, Commander's mate." 

Another knight who was in the courtyard of the palace joins in. "Let them in. The Emperor has been longing to see Concubine Hinata since forever." 

Hinata could only smile awkwardly as the Azure knights rudely talk about him in front of his face, holding back a loud sigh. 

"Are you going to let us in or not?" Kageyama growls out, his patience running thin as he clenched his jaw tightly. 

The Azure knights turn quiet. "Tch. You may proceed." 

Keeping a polite smile on his face, Hinata bows his head to silently thank the knights before entering the courtyard, heading straight towards the entrance of the palace that Atsumu resided in. He lets go of the knight's arm, running up the stairs that led to the main door. 

"Hinata! Wait up!" Yukitaka yells out, running to the prince who was about to open the door. Before he could even open it, the door slides open, surprising the prince who met face to face with Advisor Osamu. 

"Prince Hinata?" Shock and confusion filled his voice. "Aren't you– Nevermind. Are you here to visit the Emperor?" 

"Yes. I have something to say." He replies curtly, smiling at the advisor who stares at him. 

"I see. Do come in. The Emperor will be ecstatic to see you." He opens the doors for them, leading them inside the palace as a maidservant closed the door behind the four. Yukitaka and Hinata held onto each other's arms while Kageyama and Tsukishima followed behind them closely. 

The palace was quiet, with only theor footsteps being heard throughout the hallways. 

As soon as Hinata stood in front of the door to the Emperor's study, they hear loud clattering. 

"Hinata?" They heard someone ask out loud. The door slams open, with a disheveled looking Atsumu coming into view. "You're here." 

"Yes, I—" Without even bothering to hear him out, Atsumu pulls Hinata away from Yuki and in the study, into an embrace. It was a warm embrace, with his natural alpha pheromones wafting out due to happiness. 

Advisor Osamu and the other three enter the room with an annoyed look on their faces, Tsukishima with the worst look with how intensely he glared at the emperor. Tsukishima never liked him, not one bit. 

And the fact that he was hugging their Prince and releasing pheromones made him want to pull out the emperor's hair, patch by patch until he became bald. 

"Why did you decide to visit me?" Like a happy dog, Atsumu's chocolate brown eyes were bright as he stared lovingly down at Hinata, who was still trapped in his arms. He patiently waited for a reply, taking time to analyze every inch of the prince's face. Hinata looked like he just came from crying, which concerned him. "Were you crying? What happened?" 

"I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you something." The orange-haired prince gets out of the emperor's hold, looking up at the latter. "Don't give the Koryu envoys any compensation." 

Atsumu stopped making googly eyes at Hinata, lifting his brow in confusion. "You want me to what?" 

"Don't give the Koryu envoys their compensation." He repeats in a determined voice. He was going to get Atsumu to agree with him, no matter what. 

"Prince Hinata suggested a great choice. Those Koryuans are too much for a mere second-rate empire." Advisor Osamu chips in, crossing his arms. He was glad the prince was trying to convince the emperor. If it was Prince Hinata, the emperor would definitely listen. "Five thousand gold is too much. It can support an empire for five whole years." 

"But why would you suggest this to me, Hinata?" Atsumu asks, still confused by what Hinata suggested. He looks around and accidentally meets the eyes of the three at the back, who were silent but glared venomously at him. 

"They're trying to use Kenma's death as an advantage over you. They—" 

"Hear ye, hear ye!" A loud voice boomed from outside the palace. It sounded like it was coming from the courtyard. 

"Osamu. What is that?" Atsumu asks, frowning. They could hear murmuring outside, as if there were a lot of people outside who were speaking at the same time. 

"I do not know, Sire. I apologize." Osamu also had a worried frown on his face. No one knew what was happening. This led Atsumu to open his study's window, which oversaw the courtyard. 

"What in the world..?" Atsumu frowns even more as he saw the scene that unfolded outside his window. 

The people from Nokoshomura flooded the courtyard, the place jam-packed with workers, merchants, and concubines. You could see the Koryuan concubines who stayed back when most concubines left in fear of the Kodai. They most likely stayed for their Crown Prince. 

In the front of them all were three people. Those three looked very familiar to Atsumu. 

"Hear ye, citizens of Seiryu! I shall talk about the death of our dearly beloved Crown Prince!" The stout man who stood in the middle of two young men yelled out, moving his hands erratically. "Our Crown Prince died in the midst of a problem that your Emperor failed to fix!" 

"Our poor Crown Prince got caught in a fight not even his own!" His loud voice exclaimed. "Yet the Emperor does not even want to compensate us! He wants us to sit down like good dogs and accept the fact that our Crown Prince has died, just because we are an inferior empire!" 

"Osamu, let's go down." Atsumu was livid, his nostrils flaring as he trudged towards the door. He was stopped by Hinata, who had a panicked look on his face. 

"No, no, Atsumu-san, don't be violent! I'll go down and try to resolve it!" Hinata blurts out, making Tsukishima grab his arm. 

"Prince, please don't do that!" The blonde begged. 

"Hinata, you shouldn't!" Yukitaka shook his head violently to express his disagreement. 

"Prince Hinata, it is not—" Osamu is cut off by Hinata. 

"I'll be fine. Let me handle it. This is for Kenma." He squeezes Atsumu's hand before running out the study, a panicked Kageyama following behind after him. 

"Emperor!" Yukitaka yells out, angry that the emperor turned quiet and accepted Hinata's rash decision. "Hinata shouldn't be there!" 

"We should just respect his wishes... And watch over him." He sighs out, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I won't hesitate to unsheathe my sword if the envoys raise hands against him."

Outside the window, you could see Hinata facing the three envoys down below, in front of the large crowd who were quiet in the presence of the prince. They all knew that Hinata was the closest to Kenma. After all, they went everywhere together. No one has seen them apart from each other. 

"Here is the star of our show!" The envoy exclaims noisily, his, voice full of sarcasm. He points at the prince, who glared at them. "It was said that he was with our Crown Prince Kenma during the night of his death!" 

The crowd makes a noise in agreement. It was like they were hypnotized. Just how good were these envoys with words that they managed to gather such a large crowd and bring them to the palace? And where the hell were the palace guards? 

"And what about it?" Hinata asks, still continuing to glare at the envoys. The elder envoy scoffed. 

"Why is it that you are not injured when our Crown Prince died when he was with you?" The crowd makes a noise with what the envoy just said. They did have a point. How could he escape unscathed while the person he was with, died? It was suspicious to all the citizens, especially the Koryuan concubines, who glared openly at the prince. 

"What are you talking about? I–" 

"Could it be that you are actually a spy of the enemy?" The envoy asked loudly, making the crowd gasp. "Or are you actually one of them?" 

"You..!" Kageyama was pissed. He drew his blade, pointing it at the elder. "Do you wish to die?!" 

"Citizens, see how guilty they are acting? They even raised a blade to a poor old man exacting justice for his Crown Prince!" The crowd becomes loud, yelling curses at the prince and his knight. Some even threw rocks. 

"We are not—" 

"JAIL HIM!" 

"JAIL HIM AND INTERROGATE HIM!" 

The crowd believed the envoys. It was extremely suspicious how Prince Hinata wasn't even critically injured. They didn't know he was only hiding the injury on his leg so his friends would not worry. 

"Emperor! Hear our pleas!" The young envoys yell out, smirking at Hinata before looking up at the window. They saw Atsumu gripping the window sill, looking down at them with a dark look. "Please jail this man and interrogate him! Exact justice for our Crown Prince!" 

"JAIL HIM, EMPEROR!" 

"DO NOT FALL FOR HIS CHARMS!" 

"KILL HIM!!!!" 

"How dare you accuse me of killing my most precious best friend and soul mate!" Hinata was absolutely livid, his blood boiling in anger. He couldn't stand the fact that he was being labeled as a murderer, and Kenma's murderer at that! "I was there for Kenma when he was suffering in pain, you big-bellied bastard!!!!!" 

The elder envoy widens his eye, glaring at the prince before he slapped him forcefully. Hinata fell to the ground, Kageyama hurrying to pick him up before pointing the sword at the envoys, this time at their throat. 

"You will not hurt my Prince and get away with it." The knight growls out, raising his sword before he gets hit by a stone. 

"THEY'RE GUILTY!" 

"KODAI! HE'S PART OF THE KODAI!" 

"JAIL THEM!" 

"How dare you talk, spy of the Kodai." The envoy seethes between his teeth, a cruel smirk on his lips. "You should be killed for what you did." 

♚♚♚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am finally done typing this chapter! Woohooooo!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
> 
> I was planning 8k words only but here I am, at 9k 🤡
> 
> This took me WAAAAAAAAY longer than I expected smh 🤦 Took a chunk out of my life oml
> 
> Yes, I finally learned to make flashbacks italicized. Amazing amazing. 
> 
> Anyways, I dropped hints and foreshadowing about some stuff that will happen in the future! Hopefully you pick it up!
> 
> I am so tired so I'll cut this short and stop rambling djsodisjd
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed it ☺️
> 
> I appreciate you all!
> 
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> 
> Come to the dark side! We have strawberry cake 🍰
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